Footsteps
by Krazy Ky-Sta Hatter
Summary: When Rose discovers the strange ability to step through Time, Space and Universes, she begins a rather frustrating search for the Doctor. If she can't get his help then she will never be able to stay still. But it seems she can never quite reach him.
1. Through Wet Sand

_**Hi Everyone! Yup another one!**_

_**I just have all these ideas float about. Or if I see something somewhere it will trigger another idea. This one came to me not long ago… I was actually in the shower (very good thinking spot, strangely) but I was thinking of the beach. And the idea was triggered by someone's fic where Rose dimension jumped into Gallifrey, but just when she was about to talk to the Doctor, she got pulled back. But I love connecting her to the TARDIS, so she can do it on her own.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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***Footsteps***

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**Through Wet Sand**

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Rose knew she was different. She had known for a while now. She felt different… bigger, deeper, and stronger. She had ever since Satellite 5… She didn't know why she had never mentioned it to the Doctor. She didn't know why she had never told him that she felt different, or that she could constantly hear singing and whispers in the TARDIS, or that she could feel something else there in her mind with her.

She had always been close to the TARDIS. The Doctor had always been happy that she accepted her as a living being (more so than any other companion, he had told her). But she had become even closer to her after she had looked into her heart. She could feel what the TARDIS felt; she could even hear her whisper sometimes. Not actual words, just a voice in her head. It was as if she had somehow become part of the TARDIS… or even something more.

She knew that things had changed for her. Though her DNA was mostly still the same, she was more than human. She had thought that maybe she would be able to talk to the TARDIS or gain telepathic abilities. She even suspected that she would have a longer lifespan. That had been why she had promised the Doctor forever. There were many things she had suspected.

But she had never expected this.

It had been a long, horrible day. As per usual, she had tried to get through without that empty feeling inside her. She could remember feeling that presence - maybe there were two - sitting comfortably in the back of her mind. Always there, familiar and nice. But now it was gone, and it was horrible and lonely. It made her shudder to think what the Doctor had felt when he had lost everyone. And that just made her feel even worse, because it truly meant that he was gone.

She had just packed up from a very disappointing day at Torchwood - they had thought they had a breakthrough with the Dimension Cannon, but it ended up setting them back - and was walking to her car. That was when it happened.

Her feet started to feel slow and heavy, as if she were dragging them through wet sand. She became dizzy and lightheaded. Around her the world blurred and she got the strangest feeling of being dragged along, like a rollercoaster, her stomach left behind - and yet, she was still, mid-step. There was a pop in her ears and the world faded from around her. It felt like she was drowning, or suffocating. With the darkness was a lack of air. And just when she though she could stand it no longer, there was another pop and the world faded into view around her again.

Finally, she bought her foot down. It surprised her a little that she wasn't lying on the ground. She had more or less blacked out within the space of a single step.

It wasn't until the dizzy disorientating feeling had passed that she noticed that something was different… Well, when she said something, she meant _everything_! She wasn't anywhere near her car. She wasn't anywhere near Canary Warf, or London, or the parallel world, or even Earth for that matter. Well, who knew if she really was on the parallel world?

No! No, this was a dream. She had for some reason fallen unconscious and she was dreaming. There was no way that in the space of a single step that she had been taken to a different planet.

She looked around to see if there was anything or anyone near her, but all she could see was a deep purple forest. The place looked familiar… She could swear she had been here before with the Doctor.

Slowly she walked around, taking it all in. She stopped when she reached the edge of the trees and looked up at the swaying dark purple leaves. Nearby she saw a large tree with tan bark and indigo leaves. She grinned in delight as she walked over to it. But that smile fell when she saw what was there.

_The Doctor watched, enraptured by the look of the delight on Rose's face. She gazed in wonder at the forest of purple. He loved taking her to new places. She would just light up and look at him in pure enchantment. It was hard to take his eyes off her, and sometimes she would catch him._

_But if he wanted to keep at least a semblance of denial, he HAD to revert his attention elsewhere. Now. Forcefully, he dragged his eyes away from the beautiful woman he was too afraid to admit even to himself that he had developed feeling so deep it scared him sometimes. It had been a long time since he had ever felt anything like this. And never this strong._

_Needing that distraction he looked around at the scenery. Taking in many small facts. He saw that it had been raining less than a few minutes ago. And not far from them was a tree with indigo leaves and a tan trunk. An ecstatic grin grew over his face._

_He couldn't help it. He was addicted to that beautiful expression on her face and found himself dragging her over to the tree to show her a new wonder._

"_Oh, you have to look at this, Rose," he cried happily before starting his hundred mile an hour babble. "It's a Balladon tree. Absolutely brilliant. There are no other planets out there that have a tree like this. It only rains once a year for a whole month. The ground soaks up the water and the trees have pockets below the roots to store water reserves. But this tree… it needs a lot more water. So it's adapted itself to soak water directly through the trunk too. This makes the bark impressionable when it's wet. And after that, unless someone physically comes and changes it, an indent will stay there until the tree dies."_

"_So… you can dent the tree?" she summed up._

"_Yep. Look." He reached up one hand and pressed it into the tan trunk. It sunk softly into the bark, moulding around his fingers. "Come on, your turn," he grinned._

_Smiling her tongue in cheek grin, Rose reached up, placed her hand against the soft spongy bark - her hand so close to his that their fingers were almost entwined - and pushed. Her hand sunk in and she giggled at the sensation. It reminded her of kneading bread dough._

_On the Doctor's signal they pulled back their hands. Her hand was surprisingly clean, but that wasn't what had caught her attention. There, on the tree before them, was the perfect impression of their hands. Just the sight of it made her grin._

_It was incredible._

Rose reached up and traced the contours of his handprint before placing her hand inside its own spot. Unlike when they had made it, the wood was solid and dry. Their handprints were solid as rock. They would be there forever… the forever that she no longer had with him.

A tear leaked from her eye and she turned and ran. She wanted to get out of here. There was no way that this could be happening. And it hurt.

Maybe she was hallucinating. Or she had fallen unconscious or tripped and knocked herself out and now she was dreaming. It didn't matter; she wanted to run from the pain. She just wanted to run and run and run and not look back. But that in itself sounded painfully familiar.

She had barely gotten a hundred meters away when, once again, she felt like she was wading through wet sand. She heard the popping noises, and within the space of one footstep she found herself at the door of the Tyler Mansion.

"Mum!" she cried as she swung open the door and ran inside. "Mum!"

"Oh, Rose. What's all this yelling?" she heard her mother from the living room. But her voice sounded… strange. Slowly she followed her mother's voice. "I swear, if you're here to go on about River and that Song boy, I want none of it." Rose froze in shock when she rounded the corner. She was met by the sight of her mother, back turned, with… silver hair… "I know that the two of you worry about her, but we've been over this before. It's already happened, trying to convince her not to marry him won't change her future. Besides, you said it yourself; it would cause a paradox… Rose are you okay?" she asked when she turned to see her ashen faced daughter.

At the sight of her mother, Rose sunk to the ground. Jackie looked to be about 70 years old!

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" she asked, bending down to help her up. "Oh god, what's happened? Is it the kids? River? Jack? Aria? Oh, it's him isn't it? Didn't he…" Jackie faded out. Looking for the answer in Rose's eyes, she saw something she didn't expect to see. "Oh… oh, it's _that_ time isn't it? You've just started jumping."

"What the hell is going on?" she asked in a shaky, desperate voice. "What's happening to me?"

"I can't tell you, Love," Jackie said sadly, sitting them down on the couch. "I do know what's happening, but you said I can't tell you. You have to find it out for yourself or it will create a paradox. I don't know, wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, or something or other."

"Wh-what?" she was startled at her mother's use of those familiar words.

"Your words, not mine," Jackie laughed. "But there are some things you said to tell you… Older you said to tell younger you… you, the young you… Oh, this is bloody confusing! I don't know how you lot cope. Anyway," she said with a serious expression. "First thing, most importantly: you are _not_ dreaming. This is real. See."

Then Jackie hit her fist hard into Rose's shoulder. Rose yelped in pain. Obviously Jackie had lost none of her strength in her old age.

"Ow, okay. It's not a dream," she wined, furiously rubbing her arm.

"Good," Jackie grinned. "Now, I know you're really confused, but it really is happening. I can't tell you all the technical mumble-jumble, but the point is that you can step into different planets, times and universes."

"What? Universes, how?"

"Err… all I can tell you is that you have a biological link in each. It's only between these ones, this one and our original one. You're not going to have much control over it. Especially as to when it happens. It will happen whenever, until you get help. But you can, sort of, end up where you want. You just gotta think really hard on where you want to go when you jump."

"So… what, like, I feel it happen, think of home and I'll be there?"

"Roughly, yeah," Jackie said almost sheepishly. "It's not exactly _precise_. You have to think _really_ hard, because a word might mean something completely different to what you think. Like maybe you think 'home' wanting to go back to your flat, but you end up at the Powell Estates."

"This is nuts!" Rose muttered.

"You're telling me," Jackie mumbled.

"So you're saying that anytime I walk I could just randomly disappear?" she said in disbelief.

"For now, yeah. Look, Love, there's only one person who can help you. You have to find the Doctor."

Rose looked up at her, a little bit of hope creeping into her eyes. If her mother was talking about her past, then surely that means she would see him again. The moment was broken when they heard the door clunk as someone came inside.

"Hey Mum!" a deep voice called.

"That's Tony," Jackie smiled. "Funny isn't it? The last time you would have seen him, he would have been two weeks old. Oh! You should probably go. I'm afraid he talks as much as I do and he's bound to blab about your future."

"But how am I supposed to go back?" she asked as Jackie pushed her up.

"Just take a walk around the garden; I'm sure it'll pop up on you. Katie!" she called out to one of the maids who then came running in. "Can you take Rose out to the garden and tell me when she goes."

Katie nodded politely and led Rose out of the room just as a man walked in.

"Was that Rose?" she heard behind her. But that was all she was heard as Katie dragged her by the arm. She had enough time to look at the photos on the wall. She thought she saw a picture of her and the Doctor, but she was dragged by too fast. She did catch a picture of Jackie sitting with three children. She stopped in her tracks and Katie jerked to a stop beside her.

The oldest girl looked to be around eighteen, with frizzy blonde hair and dark green eyes. The next, a boy of fifteen with black hair and striking blue eyes. The last was a little girl of ten, golden brown hair past her hips and eyes as blue as the Caribbean Sea.

"Erm, Katie? Who are they?" she asked.

"Your… children… Mrs Tyler," Katie said somewhat in confusion. At Rose's incredulous look she realised the mistake she'd made. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Ma'am!" she cried. "We haven't had a visit from your younger self in a very long time. I should take you out to the garden now."

"Okay, I'm coming," she smiled. "No chance I could talk you into telling me who the father will be?"

"No, sorry Ma'am," Katie smiled back. "You know how these things work."

"Eh, it was worth a try. So, how long have you been working here then? Long enough that you know about the aliens… and, well… me."

"A little over ten years," she replied. "Mind, what with all the extra-terrestrial events over the last thirty years, this is only a little more unusual." Rose couldn't help but laugh at this. It was quite true. With alien attacks left right and centre, working for the head of Torchwood who has a disappearing daughter from a parallel universe would only be the cheery on top.

Rose had walked around through the garden for a good hour. She was utterly and thoroughly bored by the time she felt anything. This time when the dizziness came, she was ready. She concentrated as hard as she could on that one word. Home.

She didn't open her eyes, not even when she knew she was there. She could felt it. But she was almost too afraid to look. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open when she heard the sound. There before her, the engines of the TARDIS grouched as it faded from sight.

"Doctor!" she cried. But it was too late, he was gone. She was, however, met by the bewildered stare of a redhead in a wedding dress.

"Oh, please don't say you ain't another bloody Martian!" she cried in frustration.

"What?" Rose said dejectedly. "No, I'm just human."

"Oh, yeah, sure," the bride snapped. "Because humans can just appear out of nowhere… Actually, forget that. I've done enough of that a few times today. It's what got me into this mess. One minute I'm walking down the aisle, next I'm standing in a crazy Martian's spaceship!"

"I know the feeling," she smiled softly. "How is he? Is he okay?"

"No," the woman said curtly. Rose's face fell. "He's a bloody maniac! He just lost someone and he's covering up the obvious heartbreak by acting like a nutter. Killed the last of a species today and very nearly killed himself! He asked me to go with him, but I just couldn't."

"He's alone!" Rose cried in horror. The bride nodded. "No! He should never be alone. He needs someone to hold his and keep him together. You should have gone with him!"

The bride hung her head. "He's grieving," she said sadly, her tone softening. "I think he just needs to be alone a little while. Besides, I'm just a temp from Chiswick, what could I do to help him?"

"Everything! I was just a shop girl from London when I met him. He'd just lost all his people, his entire planet."

"Yeah, well, I think loosing Rose pushed him over the edge. I have never seen so much pain in someone's eyes. There was nothing I could do to help."

Rose felt like she had been punched in the gut. He had only just lost her… and he was distraught…

"You should have gone with him," was all she managed to say in the end. Sadly, she turned and starts to walk away.

"Wait!" the bride called to her, her voice so much softer now. "Who are you?"

"I'm just a friend of the Doctors," she told the woman without turning back. So she never saw the look of almost realisation and shock flash across the redhead's face. Holding back tears, she carried on. She wanted nothing more than to be in her mother's arms right now. A few seconds later, her wish was granted.

She was standing in the Tyler Mansion again. But before her stood a 41 year old Jackie holding a small baby. "Any word?" Jackie asked Amy, a servant that Rose thankfully knew. She passed the baby over and wiped at her eyes.

"No, Ma'am," Amy said regretfully, taking the baby Tony. "I'm sorry." Neither of them had noticed her yet.

"Mum…" Rose said, her voice breaking.

"Rose!" Jackie cried. In the next second she was attacking Rose, enveloping her in a huge hug. "Where have you been? You've been missing for two weeks!" Rose couldn't stop the sob that escaped her, now she was finally safe in her mother's arms.

She finally let the tears fall.


	2. Find Him

**Find Him**

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It had been three weeks since she had first jumped. She hadn't jumped since. She would almost believe that it had never happened. But she had been missing for two weeks and it had felt so real. She had told Jackie, Pete and Mickey and they had all believed her… Though admittedly Jackie was too fussed over weather or not she had aged well and still looked young enough.

She was starting to become agitated. She had no control over this and she had the feeling that she would never be able to live normally until she found the Doctor. She had wanted to find him anyway, but now it was necessary. But what if she found him and he couldn't keep her still?

She hadn't gone anywhere or felt anything since she had left that woman in the wedding dress. She was starting to panic. What if it didn't happen again? That would be worse, because it had given her hope that she may be able to get back…

It wasn't until a month later that she began to jump again. And what she found was that it really was unpredictable. She was thinking of the Doctor, but still she found that she was missing him. She would arrive before him in a place she recognised and disappear before he showed. She'd tried to leave a message for him, but as far as she knew, he hadn't gotten it. Some times she would arrive just after he had left.

But it was how long she stayed that was the most unpredictable. Sometimes she was only there for three steps, others she was stuck for a week. She had no idea when it would happen. Sometimes she would walk around for days trying head off.

Once she managed to arrive on a planet soon after she and the Doctor had left. She couldn't leave for ten days. It want all bad, she got to join in a week long celebration held in her and the Doctor's honour. And since one of the survivors of the tragedy recognised her, she got all the glory. But it didn't seem right, nor quite as fun without him.

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It had been a while since she had last seen her family. She was developing a rather uncanny sense of time, able to tell her own personal timeline, as well as roughly when it was… where ever she was. So she knew that it had been roughly around three months since she'd last been home.

Three months of searching. Of wondering around, hoping that her next step bought her to the Doctor. Rose sighed as she walked through the Narushian Bazaar for the third day in a row. She had been lucky enough to have picked up (nicked) some psychic paper in the 51st century, so she had managed to find a place to stay. It was worse when she couldn't find anywhere and had to sleep outside. Especially considering that some planets had horrible climates for a human.

She tended to get money how ever she could, usually gambling - she'd always had pretty good luck in games, the Doctor had always laughed at her and said that he knew she was a lucky charm. With the money she bought food and a change of clothes. Eventually with the things she bought, found, accepted and acquired, she had a decent travelling bag… until it was stolen the night before.

Rose was tired, not physically, thought that was wearing at her too. No, she was mentally exhausted. She just wanted to go home, she wanted to find her Doctor and go home. She missed him so much. Everything about him. She was so wrapped in her own thoughts that she didn't notice when the world faded from around her.

**?...DW…?**

She looked around at this new world she was on. She was in a garden of some sort of city, its thin sharp spires reaching for the amber heavens. Looking up she saw that it was encased in a huge glass ball or dome. It reflected lightly as far as they eye could see. Through the glass she could see red snow-capped mountains. Two suns shone down from the burnt orange sky. One was smaller than Earth's sun, and brighter, like a new moon, it shone on the horizon like a large evening star. The other was large and a littler darker than Earth's sun, it hung directly overhead, burning so close she felt she could reach out and touch it.

Despite the two suns, it was fairly cool. The coolness was almost welcome. It felt familiar. It felt like home.

Actually, many things about this place seemed to be stirring a memory. Curious, she sat down on the red grass, just in case any step she took would send her away from this marvellous place. She wanted to stay here.

Sighing, she lay back and looked up into the boughs of a silver leaved tree that stretched above her. She could see the larger sun filtering through, when it caught at just the right angle, the leaves looked like flashes of fire. Somewhere up in the branches, some kind of bird sung a beautiful, haunting melody.

This place was beautiful. She was at peace here. It felt like home, like she belonged. Slowly her eyes drifted shut, and she gently smiled… Until she heard the voices.

"Koschei, who is that?" someone asked.

"I don't know. But she doesn't look like she's from here, does she?" the second voice, Koschei, said sounding slightly sarcastic. "Forget how she got into the Academy gardens, how did she get on the bloody planet?"

"Look at the clothes she's wearing! I think she's human! Maybe from the 20th - 23rd centaury? I wonder what language she speaks!" the first voice said rather excitedly.

"Who knows," Koschei said in a bored, almost placating voice. It was obvious that he was used to his friends antics and indulged them the way a parent would their over imaginative child.

"Hmm, she's quite beautiful for a human…" the voice was wistful and curious at the same time.

Koschei snorted indignantly, and Rose could hear how close they were to her now. "She's _human_, Theta!" he cried. "A stupid ape! Then again, you always have been fascinated by them."

"Earth, the first place I'm going to go when I get a TARDIS," Theta said cheerfully, ignoring the insult in the statement. "Maybe they'll let me take her back!"

Rose could practically see Koschei shake his head. "I doubt they'll let you, Theta. We're not even out of the Academy yet. We shouldn't even be _seeing _a human." There was a pause and then Koschei sighed in frustration. They were right beside her now, looking over her. "Please take me seriously when I tell you that I swear you are the strangest Time Lord in existence."

"Time Lord!" Rose suddenly cried sitting bolt upright, startling the two men. "Oh my god! I'm on Gallifrey! But that can't be possible! It's not possible. There's a time lock… it's a fixed point…" but she didn't have long to ponder on that. The Time Lords before her were gaping at her as if they had just seen her contort herself into a shape that wasn't physically possible. "What?" she asked them.

"Stop doing that!" the one with jet black hair shouted at her. She could tell by his voice and demeanour that it was Koschei.

"But that's impossible!" Theta breathed, bending to peer closer at her with his horribly familiar blue eyes. She had never seen that exact shade before… but there was something familiar about them all the same.

"What? What's impossible?" she asked.

Theta drew his hand through his mop of brown hair, and giggled. He actually _giggled_. "I take it back. This is _incredible_!"

"I still don't see what you're on about. Anyone care to clue me in?"

"Would you stop that?" Koschei shouted at her. "You cannot speak this language! How do you know our language?"

"What… Gallifreyan?" she said. "I don't. The TARDIS doesn't translate it."

"Well, you seem to be doing a pretty good job of it," Theta grinned.

"I'm speaking Gallifreyan?"

"You're human. How can you have been in a TARDIS?" Koschei demanded rudely.

"Excuse me!" Rose said haughtily. "I haven't just _been_ in a TARDIS. I've looked into the heart of one! And she was my friends if you must know. I'm trying to find him."

"He should never have bought you here. Humans aren't allowed on Gallifrey," Koschei told her. Theta shot him a warning glace.

"He didn't bring me here!" she nearly shouted at the haughty, arrogant git. "I don't even know _how_ I get here!"

"Perhaps we could help you find your friend," Theta suggested kindly, aiming to clam her down and genuinely wanting to help.

Behind him Koschei sighed. "Always helping people aren't you, Theta. You chose your title well. The Doctor: the man who makes people better. Sanctimonious, right?" he said to Rose, failing to notice how she had stiffened and jumped back a step.

"Ha! You can talk _Master_," Theta AKA: the Doctor shot back at his friend with a grin. Then he turned back to Rose. "So, what do you say?" Then he seemed to notice that something was wrong. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she squeaked. "I'm okay. But I should really go. My-my friend won't be here. Well, he will be, but I'm in the wrong time line. He won't know me yet. I should really go."

"Ah, yes. Wouldn't do to create a paradox," the Doctor said to her.

"Been there, done that… it wasn't pretty."

"No! We can't let her go," Koschei growled. "We have to take her to the High Council."

"What? No!" the Doctor cried, his eyes widening in horror. Then she saw something grow in his eyes, a small flash of darkness that she recognised so well. "We are _not_ taking her to them," he growled. He seemed to become rather grumpy and rude, but she could see the Oncoming Storm held at bay inside him. She knew that Koschei was lucky he was a friend. "You know what they would do to a human. But she's not just _any_ human. There's something different about her, something special. Can't you feel it? And if they sense it, who knows what they will do. We pride ourselves on being superior to them and being more evolved. But I have no doubt that they would lower themselves in the way that the early human race treaded aliens. She's something they have never encountered before. They would experiment on her. Run tests on her body and mind until they found what they are looking for. I can't let that happen to her."

"It's the law, Theta. Don't make me fight you on this," Koschei warned.

"Since when have either of us followed the rules?" the Doctor laughed darkly. "Koschei, this is more important than _law_. This is a person's _life_. She's special. Protecting her is the right thing to do, and if I have to give up everything to do the right thing, then so be it."

"Theta, you know what they will do to you. You're my friend; I can't let that happen to you."

"We are _not_ taking her to the High Council!" he said stubbornly, placing her protectively behind him. Rose felt a shock run along her skin at his touch. She had a feeling that it would no longer be so hard to find him.

"Perhaps you won't have to," another voice came from behind them. They whipped around to see another man, standing not so far away; he wore a smug grin on his face. The Doctor and Koschei practically growled at the sight of him. "Human, eh? I could take her. She wouldn't be able to escape me."

"Get lost, Torvic," Koschei growled.

"No, I believe you're right for once, Koschei. This creature must be taken away for safe keeping. Clearly you are not capable of doing so."

"I was trying to convince Theta to bring her willingly. I won't hurt my friend," Koschei said darkly.

"Because you are weak," Torvic sneered. Koschei snarled at the other man. The Doctor was looking fearfully between the two, he knew that something bad was about to happen, and he couldn't let the girl get caught in the middle of this ancient fight.

"Go, run!" he hissed at her. "There is a hollow tree to the North. Keep running till you find it, and hide there. I'll find you later." With that he gave her a small push and she started to run, peering over her shoulder as she went.

Torvic saw her and bolted after her, the Doctor and Koschei close on his tail. Koschei wouldn't let the bully of a Time Lord anywhere near his capture. And the Doctor wouldn't let either of them near such a wonder. But as they ran, something extraordinary happened. Right before their eyes, the girl ran into thin air.

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><p><em><strong>Yep, Torvic is a real Time Lord, he was a bully and the Doctor killed him to save the Master's life. It's kind of where things go down hill for the Master.<strong>_

_**Yip, from here on in it will be much easier for her to find him, but not what you expect. Keep looking for what's next!**_

_**Please review!**_


	3. His Past

_**Hey! Okay, I hope I did the characterisation okay in this. It's the start of a run through each regeneration. In this it's 1, 4 and 7. I haven't seen many of the classics, only two episodes of 1 a few of 7 and thankfully a bunch of 4.**_

_**So, I hope I did alright. Enjoy!**_

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><p>.<p>

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**His Past**

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Rose looked about at the fairly familiar setting. London. Definitely London. But what time? Judging by the technology, it was in the future, though it wasn't so advanced that it was the far future. Five hundred years at max. '_2312,' _the thought passed through her head.

Placing a hand to her racing heart, she took a deep relived breath. She wasn't sure what she was more shocked about. The way Time Lords (well, most of them) appeared to treat humans. Seeing such a young Doctor. Or being on Gallifrey.

Wow! She had been on Gallifrey! The full realisation of that sunk in and she gave a whoop of wondering laughter.

"But this looks like London!" She heard a woman exclaim behind her, she turned to see her. "But… we can't be! it's so different."

Rose looked at the small group just in front of her now. There were two women and two men. A man and woman who looked to be in their thirties, they were looking about in wonder a little confusion. The other was a girl with a dark boy cut; she looked no older than fifteen. And the last was an old man, who had his back to her. He wore an old style black suit and leant on a cane. His silver hair was fairly long and swept smoothly down to the base of his neck.

"Where are we now?" the younger man asked.

"London," the old man said simply. At his friends' looks he decided to clarify. "In 2312."

"Good Lord, that's nearly 350 years in the future!" he said.

"Ian, you have been to prehistoric times, and yet you are surprised by a few centuries in your future," the old man scoffed rudely. He gave a giggle and turned around. Now he was facing her. They both froze in shock. Those eyes… those blue eyes. "It can't be," he murmured, peering at her closely. He still looked utterly stunned.

"Doctor?" the older woman said in concern. Rose nearly choked. She had known the moment she saw his eyes. But to hear it be confirmed…

"Grandfather, do you know her?" the girl asked. Rose's head snapped to her and she blinked in surprise.

"Grandfather? She's your granddaughter?" she gasped. "I knew you had kids, but grandchildren?"

"You're that girl from Gallifrey," he said, sounding slightly dumbfounded. "You're the human that disappeared." Right, so this was still before he met her. That ruled out the possibility of him being in his eleventh, twelfth, or thirteenth incarnations.

"Human? What was she doing on Gallifrey?" the girl said in surprise.

"Not now, Susan," he waved her off rather distractedly. He looked at his companions that clearly told them to behave before he turned to her. "Excuse me, would you mind?" he gestured for her to go forward with him, and with a nod she walked a few quick steps just out of sight.

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"Since you know a little about me, and you didn't protest until after the Master said my name, I believe that I am the friend you were looking for. Is that correct Miss…?"

"Erm…" Rose looked about a moment. She couldn't tell him her real name. She _did_ look a little older than when he first met him, it wasn't much, but it left the slightest chance that he hadn't recognised her. She could think of no other reason, other than she may be rewriting time, that he hadn't recognised her when they first met… Either way, she couldn't give him her real name,that was too obvious. And the closest thing she had to an alias was 'Bad Wolf'. But she couldn't use that, because it was a sign, it shouldn't be used in the wrong place. "Loupa," she said after a moment's thought. "You can call me Loupa." The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Timelines, Doctor. I don't meet you till your… ninth incarnation. Either way, you didn't seem to recognise me."

"Most peculiar," he hummed. "Fine, I shall call you Loupa if you wish."

"Thanks… So, what incarnation are you on at the moment?"

"I am the first and original, my dear," he said sounding slightly haughty. "The same man you met so long ago."

"Try ten minutes ago," she laughed. "Travelling through time and space as you take a step. I feel like a walking TARDIS!"

The Doctor chuckled at her comparison. "Indeed. If you don't mind my asking, how are you able to do this?"

"I don't know," she told him. "I was hoping you could tell me… Well, tenth you, when I find him again."

"Didn't you say ninth?" Rose opened her mouth to answer, but didn't quite know how to say it gently. "Ah," he said, realising what her silence meant. "What moronic thing did I do in my old age to die for the ninth time?"

"Excuse me," she said indignantly. "I'd hardly call saving my life moronic!"

"I give my life for a human's?" He seemed genuinely surprised. "I can sense that you are special, but I never thought…"

"Oh please, I was just a normal human at that point," she scoffed. "Nothing special about me… Hmm, actually, that's a good point. When did I change enough to do this? I mean, I doubt it happened in a day. It would have had to build up over a few months at least."

"Ah, she's smart. Perhaps I can see why I would take another companion."

"Me, smart! I didn't even pass my A Levels. But two years in the TARDIS is better than 12 years of school."

"Quite. But don't worry about A Levels," he told her. "Grades are no indication of brains. I do believe I am proof of that."

"You're kidding me! _You_ got bad grades! Oh, definitely less egotistical. My Doctor would have never admitted that."

"Your Doctor?" the Doctor raised his eyebrow in amusement.

"W-well, how else am I supposed to tell you apart in conversation? It'll just be confusing otherwise, if I call the both of you Doctor. And you don't even know who I am yet."

"Yes, I suppose that's right," he chuckled. "You are a most interesting woman, Loupa. I would have liked to study you further, but I should go back and make sure Ian and Barbra haven't gone anywhere. They tend to attract trouble."

"Don't we all," Rose said under her breath with a grin.

"I hope that you find me and get your answers."

"Goodbye, Doctor. I'll see you later," she smiled.

"I look forward to meeting you, Loupa," he smiled warmly. Then he turned and headed back to his companions.

**?...DW…?**

Rose was in 2312, London for three more days before she jumped. And what she saw made her gasp. It was the TARDIS, again. But it still wasn't her Doctor, she could tell. The TARDIS looked slightly different. It was strange, the last three jumps had all been the Doctor… albeit, a very young - age wise at least - Doctor. And she had felt some strange… almost a connection the first time the Doctor had touched her on Gallifrey.

Perhaps now she was locked on to him until she found the right him. She sure hoped so, because she wasn't having much luck before hand.

Looking around she appeared to be in a forest, just a normal one. Although, something seemed a little off about the air. Suddenly the TARDIS door swung open. She came face to face with a tall man with lots of curly dark hair, rather large teeth and a ridiculously long scarf. He looked at her in surprise for a moment before he broke out in a huge familiar grin.

"Loupa!" he cried joyously. "How marvellous to see you here! And I do mean that quite literally, it's a marvel, a great feat." Rose giggled as he gripped her by the shoulders and smiled widely at her. "Ooh, would you like a jelly baby?" he asked, letting her go and pulling a paper bag from his coat pocket.

"Oh, please," she said grabbing one. His smile widened even more if that was possible. She popped the sweet in her mouth and tried to savour it. She hadn't had anything sweet since she left the parallel earth, she couldn't afford to. As a matter of fact, she hadn't really had all that much to eat anyway.

At that moment two more people stepped from the TARDIS. One was a sweet looking woman with a heart shaped face and long blonde hair. The other was a boy who looked to be in his teens, his clothes were obviously not from earth, and had a silver star badge pinned onto his red pocket.

"Who's this?" the boy asked.

"Adric, this is Loupa, an old friend of mine. She pops by occasionally," said the Doctor.

"But I thought you said you were trapped in this… E-Space. How could she have gotten here?"

"Oh, because she's just extraordinary. Didn't I tell you she was amazing, Romana?" he said to the blonde woman. Romana smiled at him fondly and somewhat indulgently.

"Yes, you did," she replied. "It's lovely to meet you," she said to Rose. "Have you found your answers yet?"

"No, not yet. But the last three jumps I've made have led me straight to the Doctor. So I think I may be getting close," she smiled at the woman.

"Well, I would suggest that since the Doctor and I are trying to get back to Gallifrey, that we take you with us so they can help. But that is not the best idea. They don't take too kindly to humans… Don't even take kindly to their own kind…" she looked about, starting to look annoyed.

"Romana-" the Doctor said tiredly.

"I don't want to go back!" she snapped at him.

"You're a Time Lor- Lady?" she said in shock, but the tone was ruined when she questioned the term for a female.

"Yes," she replied. "That seems to surprise you."

"I've just never met a Time Lady before," she said honestly. "Didn't know he'd travelled with other Time Lords either."

"Just Romana and Susan," he told her. She noticed the pain that flashed through his eyes at the mention of his granddaughter.

"Hmm, you said that you'd only been able to travel to the Doctor for the last three… 'jumps' have you been calling them?" Romana asked, sticking to the topic.

"Yeah, before that it was difficult to even get near him. I kept missing him, no matter how hard I thought. It's somewhat controlled by what I think… well, my destination is, I have no idea how to control the when."

"Perhaps you somehow made a connection or link with him. Have you noticed anything odd?"

"You mean _other_ than the fact that a few months ago I started travelling through time and space by myself?" she said sarcastically. "Well, there was one moment… Doctor, did you notice anything the very first time you met me? The moment you touched me?"

The Doctor paused in thought a moment, then his eyes went wide. "Y-yes. Yes, there was a small moment where…" he stuttered. He trailed of and just stared at her intently, his head to the side slightly. She stared right back and she could see the curiosity, confusion, surprise and… affection and softness in his eyes.

"You going to tell me what it was?" she asked him. If he was staring at her like that, then it must mean _something_.

"Err, later. Yes, I'll explain it later, my dear."

"Doctor-"

"It's not a common occurrence," he cut her off. "It barely ever happens between two Time Lords, let alone a Human and a Time Lord. I'll tell you what it is when I figure it out." She could see that he was lying about the last part, he already knew.

"You mean, you'll tell me later when I find the right you?" she said. He looked at her in surprise for a moment and smiled. No one else knew him better.

"Quite right." His grin left his face when he saw her grimace at those words.

"Sorry, not my favourite two words," she smiled weakly.

"Doctor, we really should be finding our way back to N-Space," Romana said after a moment of silence.

"You'll have to tell me about this one later," Rose smiled. The Doctor grinned at her. He opened his arms and stepped towards her, Rose stepped forward too. But when he went to embrace her, she wasn't there.

**?...DW…?**

"Aw, that's not fair!" Rose cried when she found herself somewhere new. She was met by a surprised looking blonde girl in a leather jacket holding something that looked like a canister of deodorant in the air.

"How the hell did you do that?" she asked holding the canister in her hand like a weapon.

"Erm… I just do…?" It came out as a question.

"And what kind of alien are you?"

"I'm human," she replied calmly. She didn't know what was in the girl's hand, but it was obvious that it could damage. No one would be silly enough to threaten with something that looked that pathetic if it weren't dangerous.

"Sure you are. Professor!" she turned her head and shouted.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," came a voice. Rose saw a short, older man walk around the corner. His clothes were a little strange as he seemed to have a thing for question marks. She knew who he was instantly, as he did her. "Good heavens, Ace! Put that Nitro-9 down! You know I don't like explosives and this is my good friend Loupa! So, where have you just come from?"

"You, actually," she replied. "Tall, curly hair, scarf…"

"Ah, yes," he seemed to perk up a little more, bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet. "My fourth incarnation. So you aren't just going through in order. I'm on seven at the moment. Have you met any others yet?"

"I'm going to meet more?" she said in surprise.

"I'll take that as a no," he sighed. "And yes, you will. So I'll apologise in advance. I was a bit rude in my sixth incarnation."

"I'm used to it," she laughed, thinking of her tenth Doctor.

"I can imagine," he laughed. "First incarnation was a little grumpy too."

"Really, I thought you were quite sweet back then," she told him. The Doctor looked away, smiling shyly. That was when he noticed the girl was still holding the canister. She wasn't holding it like a weapon anymore, it was just hanging limply at her side as she watched on, baffled.

"Ace, I told you to put that Nitro-9 down!" he snapped. Warily, keeping her eyes on Rose, Ace place the canister on the ground.

"What's Nitro-9?" she asked.

"It's my own invention," Ace replied. "Nitrogen, with just a little more kick to it."

"Ace is has quite a gift for explosives," the Doctor said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. It was obvious he liked explosives as much as he liked guns.

"Oi, you! Quit complaining," Ace said to him. "Even you've used it to get us out of a few good scraps."

The Doctor muttered incoherently for a moment before thinking of a distraction. "Ah! Loupa, I have something of yours. Just a tick." And then he moved off, leaving the two girls standing there.

"Seriously, who are you?" Ace asked her. "I've never seen the Doctor act like that. He's always been calm and collected. I've never seen him this… bouncy."

Rose laughed. "I'm Ro- Loupa. I'm an old friend of his… or friend-to-be depending which way you look at it."

"You nearly said something else," the girl observed.

"Loupa's not my real name. I can't tell him what it is until he actually knows me. I'm from his future- even though I keep ending up meeting his previous selves - I don't want to upset the timelines too much."

"I see," the girl finally smiled. "Ace isn't my real name either. But he knows that. My real name is completely naff!"

"Really? What is it…? If you don't mind telling me."

"Just… promise not to laugh?"

"I've met an alien called Karakayka-laroo… I've had my share of weird names," she told the girl… She looked younger than Rose expected. Sixteen really. That was younger than she had been.

"Alright," Ace said nervously. "It's… its Dorothy."

Despite what she had said, Rose couldn't help but giggle. "Dorothy? That's not so bad… Although, it does make me picture a poofy blue dress and ruby slippers."

"Ugh, see!" Ace moaned.

"Don't worry, I like it. Ace is pretty cool too. Little 80's though, don't you think?"

"Err… it is the 80's," Ace laughed. "1987."

"Huh…" Rose mused. "I'm one right now… linear time… Means my dad's already dead though…Ooh and mum would have gotten that job at that little hairdresser's on the corner."

"Here we are," the Doctor's voice surprised her as he came back. He held up a key on a frayed TARDIS blue ribbon. Rose automatically raised a hand to her neck, but still felt the key were it rested against her breast.

"But I…"

"You dropped it last time I saw you. I have no idea where that is in your timeline, but I thought you might like to have it back," he gave her a smile. "Curious, I've never given anyone a TARDIS key before…"

"I was afraid you wouldn't come back," she muttered as she took it back from him and slipped it in her pocket. At this the Doctor frowned.

"Why would I do that?" he asked in bewilderment. "Anyone would be _mad _to leave you behind!"

"Really?" she asked, slightly surprised at the bold statement.

"Yes… in fact, if I ever do that in the future, you have my full permission to kick my butt."

"Hmm… does that count sending me away?"

The Doctor looked appalled, as if he couldn't comprehend why someone would do such a thing. "Yes, especially then!" Rose laughed. Oh, he was setting himself up _big time!_

"Well then, you better make sure you don't do either of-" She didn't realise until it was too late that she had subconsciously taken a step. And before she could help it - not that she could anyway - she was gone.

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><p><em><strong>Okay, so if you know more about the classics than I do, I would love it if you could review this and correct anything I may have gotten wrong, whether it's personality or mannerisms or speech. I'll have to watch a little more of three before I move onto the next chapter.<strong>_

_**I wanted to make 7 sound a little more familiar with her. He's curious about her… not in love, but he does care for her deeply, because so far she is the one thing in his life (other than the TARDIS and the Master) that keeps coming back. But of course, unlike the Master, she's there for him.**_

_**I don't know how long the next two chapters will take, but I've already written all of chapters 6 and 7. A little of 8. Half of 9. And all of 11. Yes I'm that far ahead. Keep checking just in case anyway =D**_


	4. Her Strange Man

_**Yes, this one is un-beta'd too. Also, I'm not the best with the previous Doctors, and I know that they are somewhat out of character. But I'm trying to go with the fact that he's different around her.**_

_**I've got a bit of 10 in this one too. Just to give her a bit of hope. It's funny only being up to the 4th chapter, which is 19 pages, when I've actually written 48! Yeah, I've only really got to write 3 ½ more chapters and I'm done.**_

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><p>.<p>

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**Her Strange Man**

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It was a few more weeks until she met the Doctor again. She glared down at the empty spot in front of her. She had just been about to sit down to eat! It would have been her first meal in days! Although, it was quite sad to say, she was becoming used to it.

At the sound of music, she decided to follow. She almost felt as if she were in the pied piper. The sweet tune floated on the breeze, drawing her towards its owner. She only had to lay eyes on him to know who he was. The Doctor sat cross legged at the base of a tree. He wore a scruffy suit that was too big for him in some places and too short in others. His trousers were plaid. His hair cut for some reason reminded her of the Beatles. In the low branches above him lounged a rather cute looking guy in a kilt and a girl wearing Victorian clothing sat swinging her feet.

This must have been one of the few downtime moments they spent outside of the TARDIS. It was nice to know that he did get _some_, even back whenever this was.

"I didn't know you could play an instrument!" she laughed as she stepped into view. The Doctor stopped playing and smiled at her.

"Oh, yes, my Dear," he told her. "I can play a vast variety of instruments… Except piano… I really should learn to play piano. Beethoven. Yes, I'll go see him."

"Who's Beethoven?" the man asked in a Scottish accent.

"He's a classical musician," the girl replied.

"Ah."

"Hi, I'm R… Loupa," Rose told the pair up in the tree.

"This is Victoria. And I'm James McCrimmon. But everyone just calls me Jamie," the man replied. Rose began to laugh as a memory was stirred at that name and his face took on a look of confusion.

'_I'm Doctor James McCrimmon,_' she heard the Doctor to say in a Scottish accent. She began to laugh harder and looked up giggling at the Doctor. He wore a look of confusion, but it also seemed rather affectionate.

"Really, Doctor. Oh, that makes so much more sense now! 'Hmm, we're in Scotland, I'm going to speak in a Scottish accent and call myself James McCrimmon'!"

"He did what?" Jamie cried almost laughing.

"I believe that's '_will do_ what', Jamie. Loupa is from my future," the Doctor told him. "Which, you are yet to actually tell me how it is that you're travelling through my past. Walking TARDIS, isn't going to cut it afraid."

"Well, 'walking' is literally the right term to use," she told him, figuring that since he didn't seem to remember any of this when she first met him, that it would be safe to tell him a few things. "I just… travel, disappear in one place and appear somewhere completely different as I walk. Just one step and I'm somewhere else."

"Then sit down, girl, we don't want you disappearing mid-conversation do we?" he cried. Smiling, Rose complied, sitting in front of him and folding her legs. "Now, I know you're waiting until you find the right version of me, but perhaps I might be able to figure something out for you."

"Well, I can't tell you too much," Rose told him. "I have no idea how much you remember, or what made you forget. But, I mean, you asked me to come with you twice, so must have recognised me somehow."

"Well, how does it feel when it happens?"

"Well, fist it sort of feels like I'm walking through wet sand or something thick. Then I get dizzy and my ears pop. Then I sort of… black out for a second and it reverses."

"I'll have to do some research on this…" he mused. "Anything you came into contact with that could have caused this to happen?"

"None that I could think of off the top of my head… and none that I could tell you yet anyway."

"Yes, I see. This is quite difficult with the timelines to consider."

"So, what incarnation are you on?" she asked.

"Only the second," he replied.

.

"Hey, Victoria," Jamie said above them. "Would you ever wear a dress like that?" Rose looked down at the dress she had thrown on earlier in the day. The planet she had been on had been quite hot.

"No, it's disgustingly revealing," the girl snorted, then she realised she'd said that right in front of Loupa. Rose stood and smiled at her understandingly.

"It's alright," she said. "Different era's that's all. I'm from 200 years in your future, give or take. Trust me, I know what it's like. We used to travel with a guy from the 51st century. Now there is a lot with loose morals. Well, comparatively. Actually, I've been to Victorian Scotland. It's were the Doctor used Jamie's name. Met Queen Victoria, saved her life, got a Damehood, was called a naked child and a timorous beastie, got banished… A lot of fun in all."

"I am very much looking forward to my future now," the Doctor chuckled. "So-"

Suddenly Victoria screamed and both she and Jamie jumped from the tree. Something that looked quite like a snake slithered slowly down the branch towards the ground. Rose jumped back-

Only to disappear.

**?...DW…?**

The very first thing Rose saw when she arrived was bright colours. At first she thought the man before her was a clown. But on a closer look, she realised it wasn't. This was confirmed when the girl next to him jumped back in shock.

"Oh my god! Doctor! She just…"

"Yes, I know. Hello Loupa. You really do pick the most inconvenient times to pop by don't you?" he said rudely, but there was an almost fond smile on his face.

"Wow, and you thought your tenth incarnation was rude," she laughed. "You know I can't control when I 'pop' up. And what's happening?"

It was the Doctor's companion that answered her. "The Doctor's lost something." She rolled her eyes.

"I didn't _lose_ it, Peri, it ran away!"

"It doesn't have _legs_!" Peri cried.

Rose giggled a moment before she noted the two people's clothes with a raised eyebrow. Peri was wearing short blue shorts that showed off her long legs, and a top that tied in the middle. She felt a small flash of jealously when she realised how little the woman seemed to be wearing.

The Doctor, however, wore yellow stripped pants, a blue polka dot bow at his throat, a plaid vest, and that ghastly coat. Topped with his curly blonde hair, he really did almost look like a clown… he just needed the makeup.

"I'm sorry," she giggled. "But, Doctor, what the hell are you wearing? You've either mugged a clown or nicked off with Joseph's Technicolour Dream Coat!"

Peri laughed, and the Doctor sniffed haughtily and straightened his jacket.

"There's nothing wrong with what I'm wearing," he said indignantly. "I could say the same about you. It looks dreadful."

"I only had three things to choose from, and I don't really get much time to put clothes on," she told him in annoyance. "The _reason_ I'm wearing jeans and a Hirassian shirt is because I was _half _way through getting changed when I disappeared! Found myself in the middle of a crowded street with my jeans half way around my ankles and no top on! I have to get a new travel bag now, because there's no way I'm going to be able to get it back."

"What do you mean?" Peri asked.

"I have no control over where and when I end up," she explained. "But at least _I_ have an excuse for wearing a slightly bizarre shirt. What's your excuse, huh, Mr High and Mighty Time Lord?"

"I think his regeneration went a little wrong," Peri muttered.

"Do they ever go _normal_?" Rose laughed in exasperation. "Did he conk out on you too?"

"No, he had a fit and tried to strangle me," she glared at the man in question.

"You did _what_?" Rose cried in horror. The Doctor, at least, had the good grace to look guilty at the ground.

"I didn't exactly know what I was doing," he mumbled apologetically. Peri looked at him, stunned.

"Can you stay?" she asked. "He's never like this… I like it." The two girls giggled at this and the Doctor huffed again.

"We have to go Peri," the Doctor urged her. "Before that blasted thing gets too far away."

"Right, well, I'm going to try and find some food before I starve."

"Yes, you're a little too skinny," he told her.

"No time for food when you're always on the move, Doctor." Laughing, she walked away from them. "See you again, Mister. Nice to meet you, Peri!"

"Wait!" Peri cried bending over to pick something up. "You dropped you-" But she didn't hear the rest. She was already gone.

.

Rose realised what it was she had dropped and took the key from her jeans pocket and tied it around her neck. She began to cough as she looked around. You could barely see anywhere; the air was so thick with smoke.

She looked out across the city to find that you couldn't see London at all. Luckily the aria she was in was fairly clear. In the other direction she saw a sight that made her heart beat faster. The Doctor - her Doctor - stood with three other people. The bride - no longer in her wedding dress, a dark skinned woman, and a rat like lanky teen.

They all watched as suddenly the sky ignited. All she could do was watch in wonder as the sky burnt. By the time she finally looked back, after it was all over, the Doctor and the others were already at the doors of what looked like some sort of mansion. Near by she saw a sign that read 'Rattigan's Academy'.

Quickly she ran inside. She followed the sound of voices until she came to a room. The Doctor stood in some sort of arch that looked like a cross between a teleport and modern art. The other three standing out side of it.

"You're saying goodbye," the bride - couldn't really call her that now - redhead realised sadly.

"Sontarans are never defeated," the Doctor told her. "They'll be getting ready for war. And, well, you know, I've recalibrated this for Sontaran air, so…"

"You're going to ignite them," the dark woman said in the same tone as the redhead.

"You'll kill yourself!" the redhead exclaimed. Rose took a few steps forward, drawing his attention. He looked apologetically into her eyes a moment before the other woman drew his attention again.

"Just send that thing up on its own. I don't know… put it on delay!" she said in a panicked tone.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I've got to give them a choice." He looked up at her again for a moment and Rose realised what he was about to do. 'I'm sorry,' he mouthed. And then he was gone, just as she started to run towards him… and she was gone again.

.

The next thing she knew, she stood in front of the Doctor - once again, it was her Doctor. In fact, she could tell that it was only ten minutes after she had left. And he didn't really seemed all that surprised to see her, let alone to see her appear out of thin air.

"What the hell were you thinking!" she cried at him, not daring to take a step more. She didn't want to disappear.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"You said that already," she snapped. "Honestly, what was going through that head of yours?"

"You should know," he told her dejectedly. Then he seemed to decide something and sighed. "I thought it didn't matter. I had to give them a chance, because I'm the only one that would. But it didn't really matter if I went with them."

"Of course it would!"

"I'm tired, Rose," he whispered. "I'm tired of all the death and destruction and the pain. I'm tired of losing everything, everyone I love." He sighed deeply. "I'm being reckless… I've been a lot since you…"

"Reckless! You call _that reckless!_" she cried. "You nearly committed suicide!"

"Would it have mattered?" he said quietly. Rose's mouth dropped open. She walked towards him so forcefully that she felt the old ribbon around her neck loosen and fall again. And just before she got close enough to slap him for saying such a thing, she disappeared.

The Doctor only sighed and closed his eyes, not noticing the small silver key lying on the ground. He ran a hand through his hair and then rubbed his eyes. If only it had actually been his eyes that were the problem. That he would have been able to rub them, and the vision would be gone. But he was far past that now.

There was little question to him whether he was still sane. What ever he had left had been robbed from him when she went away and he was slowly loosing even more. It was nice to say what he was really thinking out loud… even if it was just to a figment of his imagination.

"Doctor, are you okay?" he whipped around to see Donna standing in the doorway to the room.

"Yeah," he said in a strained voice.

"Right…" she said softly, not believing him. "Can you take me back home? I need to make sure Mum and Granddad are alright." He nodded, and without another word, left the room. But Donna stayed behind a moment, a glint of silver on the floor catching her eye.

She bent down and picked up the key, she had only seen a key like this a few times, and only received one today… but already it was so familiar. She knew it wasn't his… so where had it come from.

.

Rose looked around the new room she was in. It was a nice quaint house. What was she-

"Donna!" she heard an old voice cry. "You left behind your key!" there was a moment's pause, then a sigh. Then the old man walked back in the room and froze at the sight of her. She spotted the badly frayed TARDIS blue ribbon in his hand.

"Actually… I think that's mine," she said with a weak smile.

"How did you… Are you one of the Doctor's friends?" he stuttered, handing over the key.

"Yeah, I'm… hang on, what year is it?"

"2008… 'cause that box of his travels in time doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does. I'm Rose, by the way."

"Wilfred," he replied in a bit of a daze. "My granddaughter, Donna's travelling with him at the moment. Apparently she met him last Christmas, was her wedding and it went a little funny."

"She's the bride!" Rose was only half surprised. It bought a smile to her face. She remembered what she had said to Donna all those months ago, that she should have gone with him… and she had listened. She had found him again. And if someone who was stuck on Earth could find him, then so could she. "Thank you, Wilfred," she said. Then she leant up and kissed him on the cheek, before leaving the house.

**?...DW…?**

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd pop up," she heard. She turned to find herself facing a man with fluffy white hair and quite a lot of ruffles. She smiled the second she laid her eyes on him. At least she could say that this want one of his worst outfits.

"No companion with you, Doctor?" she said looking around. They were on some sort of alien bazaar.

"No, no. I do," he told her. "Sarah should be around here somewhere… I hope," a little bit of worry crept into his voice as he craned his neck to see through the crowds.

"Sarah?" she said. "As in Sarah Jane? Sarah Jane Smith?"

"Yes, that's her," he smiled. "Do you know her?"

"Yeah," she said, ducking behind the curtain of a near by stall. "Like, thirty years in her future! I can't let her see me!"

"Ah, so I assume she didn't know you then," he grinned knowingly… also, partly because she looked so funny hiding like that.

"Nope, we really didn't get on too well to beginning with, until we started talking about you, and then we got on like a house on fire. My mate Mickey said it was like the missus and the ex." The Doctor laughed at that.

"Yes, two headstrong girls like you and Sarah, I could see that happening."

"Yeah, but imagine me being nineteen, and her in her fifties."

"Goodness me," he sighed. "I never usually run into my companions after they go… except you apparently."

"Oh, yeah. I'm the girl who keeps coming back," she grinned.

"How is she…? In the future I mean."

"She's good," Rose told him. "She's got a good life for herself. An investigative journalist. Looks into paranormal rumours. She's happy."

"That's good," he smiled fondly.

"Doctor," they both froze at the sound of the voice. "Who are you talking to?"

Rose took step back as Sarah Jane came closer, and she disappeared. She was quite glad, that at least her body knew when to get the hell out of there. It may be difficult, but sometimes it seemed like it was taking her exactly where she needed to go.


	5. All of Me

**All of Me**

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Rose looked about cautiously as she walked about on this new planet. She wasn't going to stop walking until she disappeared. She didn't know much about these aliens, but she could tell that they weren't all too friendly. They unnerved her. Plus if that head honcho guard guy caught sight of her, she was in for it.

Suddenly, as she was looking the other way, she bumped right into someone. Whipping around she saw that it was a woman in some sort of purple outfit. A bit like a suit with a skirt… actually, it rather looked like an old airhostess uniform.

"Oi! Watch where you're going would you?" she said in a strong Australian accent. "It's bad enough here without- Hey, you're human!"

"Close enough," she smiled at the woman. "I didn't know that humans had travelled to this planet yet."

"Loupa!" a sudden excited cry startled her. In the next second she was swept up into a hug by a blur of blonde and cream. Her feet left the ground and she squealed as he spun her around.

"Doctor! Put me down!" she squeaked.

"Oh, sorry," he said apologetically, putting her down and stepping away.

"I said 'put me down', not 'let me go'," she teased opening her arms up for another hug. With a charming grin, he obliged.

"You were terribly impolite last time you left," he accused. "I didn't even get a goodbye hug!"

"I tried! You know how this thing goes… well, kind of."

"Doctor, who is that?" the Australian said. The younger girl with frizzy hair and strange maroon clothing shot a glare at her for sounding so rude.

"Tegan, Nyssa, this is my dear friend, Loupa. She's an out of control time traveller who is somewhat obsessed with me," he joked.

"Oh, yes, Doctor. How could anyone not be," she teased. "After all, you are so dashing in this incarnation." The Doctor grinned smugly and pulled at his cream coat. That action drew her eye to the small piece of green stuck to his lapel. "Although… I'm not too sure what's up with the celery… brave choice… you know, not many men could pull off a decorative vegetable."

Suddenly the Doctor's eyebrows skyrocketed into his hair line at her words. He seemed rather surprised. But she was distracted by a new arrival.

"Hey! It's you!" the boy cried.

"Adric!" she grinned. "You're still here! Where's Romana?"

"She stayed behind in E-Space," he said looking her up and down a moment. "Goodness, you've barely changed a day!"

"It's only been a few months," she told him. "And you can talk, you don't look much different."

"It's only been about a year," he said. "Hard to tell on the TARDIS.

"Mmm, it is, isn't it?" suddenly she turned back to the Doctor. "Do you have _any_ bodies that have lasted you more than a few years?"

"Well, my first incarnation lasted a good while. Although, a few days ago I did meet a future incarnation. I hope I stay like that for quite a while. I really was quite a handsome bloke. Tall, skinny, great hair… although the talking I could do without. How do my companions put up with me?"

"Oi! Don't knock the techno babble! I think it's adorable."

"Ah, so you've met him then," the Doctor grinned.

"Met him, he's the you I'm looking for! I can't believe you met him. Seriously, it's like everyone but me can find him! And hang on, wouldn't that be a paradox?"

"Oh yes, but we sorted that. Supernova at the exact instant as the paradox created a black hole."

"Explosion cancels out the implosion, brilliant!"

"That would keep matter constant. That really is brilliant," the girl spoke for the first time.

"It is. Wouldn't have been able to do it if I hadn't seen him do it… Although, he didn't seem to remember what happened at first. Who knows, maybe I suppressed the memories."

"Did you meet his companion?" she asked timidly.

"He didn't have any as far as I could tell," he told her. "He did look rather lonely. And so sad. I could tell by looking in his eyes. Made me slightly hesitant to want to be him. But knowing that he's the one who gets to keep you, makes me look forward to being him all the more," he winked.

"Is it just me," Tegan muttered to Nyssa, "or is the Doctor… _flirting?_"

"It would appear so," Nyssa replied, hiding a small smile. All three companions blinked, somewhat in shock. It was obviously something they weren't used to.

"Well, I hope you don't take this offensively for your other yous, but this version is definitely on my top three favourite."

The Doctor chuckled at that before the 'top three' comment registered. "Only the top three?" he said, sounding slightly offended.

"I travelled and fell in-" she cut herself off. "-Travelled with two versions of you for a few years. As sweet and dashing as you are, I'm afraid they have to come first." She gave him a wink as he seemed to understand.

"Hmm, pinstripes… I don't have any of those… maybe I should go looking for some."

"And maybe you should swing by and visit Janice Joplin," she added. The Doctor looked at her quizzically and then shrugged in acceptance. "Hang on, did you say-"

**?...DW…?**

She looked around in bewilderment at her change of scenery. You would think that by now she would be used to it.

"Not fair!" she cried out.

"No, it's not really, is it?" someone chuckled behind her. She turned to see a man sitting at a table in front of a café. He had long dark curly hair and a green velvet coat. He looked as if he had stepped right out of a Jane Austin novel or something. "Care to join me?" he asked her.

"Why thank you, Doctor," she grinned as he pulled the chair out for her.

"You're most welcome. Hungry? I have the feeling you need it. When was the last time you ate?"

"Ate, or ate well?" she laughed. "I managed to get a snack this morning, but I don't think I've had a proper meal in a while."

"Then by all means, order anything you want. My treat." He handed her the menu.

"Ooh," she teased. "The next you could learn a lesson from now you. He made me shout the both of us chips on our first date!"

"Date?" the Doctor said, taken aback.

"It's just a joke of ours," she shrugged looking over the menu he had handed her.

"Really? Sometimes I do wonder."

Rose smirked at that. Everyone seemed to think they were a couple… turns out even the Doctor did too. "You'll understand one day," she smiled at him.

"I think I do now, better than I used to," he told her as she called over waitress. He waited until she had ordered till he spoke again. "I never really used to… This body is quite different to my previous ones. Love was there, but it was different. It was a bond you felt with your family, a care you had for your friends. It was never anything more than that. Back home, nearly all marriages are arranged. Even my own was arranged. And, as a general rule, Time Lords don't really feel the need to… well to love like that, or to consummate it or anything… But I can already tell that this body is different. It must have had something to do with the regeneration. It really was a terrible regeneration. But something about me is different."

"Well, if it's any consolation, in the next two incarnations, you're a terrible flirt," Rose laughed. The Doctor pulled a face at this and she laughed even harder. "Most of the time it was harmless flirting with me, but sometimes you flirt with other women. I don't even think you know you're doing it."

The Doctor just looked at her with a level gaze. "How could any flirting with you be harmless?" he asked seriously. Rose blinked for a moment.

"It… just… was. I don't know, most of the time I didn't think you meant anything by it. But sometimes…"

"What makes you so different?" he suddenly asked, startling her.

"Sorry?"

"There's something different about you. And I don't just mean the walking through time." He paused as a waitress placed her food in front of her and he encouraged her to eat before he continued. "I don't know exactly who you are, Loupa, but you carry time traces with you. The more time sensitive the person is, the more you can see. And you are very strong.

I can see that you used to be human, just as ordinary as the people around you. But I can feel traces of myself on you… how I felt. Even then you were different, I knew you were special… Why?"

"I don't know," she replied softly. "Guess you'll just have to wait and find out."

There was silence for a while in which the only sounds were the people around them and Rose's cutlery chinking against the plate.

"So, where had you just come from?" he asked.

"You again," she told him. "Young, blonde, charming, cricket, celery, Tegan, Nyssa, Adric…"

"Ah, yes. My fifth incarnation, he hummed. "It's a pity, I don't really remember all that much of that visit. I suppressed the memories for some reason. Had a strange urge to buy some pinstripe suits and visit Janice Joplin afterwards."

Rose nearly chocked on her chicken croissant. "You can do that?" she squeaked.

"What? Suppress my memories? Yes, it doesn't really erase them, but if I have need - to preserve timelines - I can suppress my memories until they catch up with me."

Rose stared at her food in thought for a moment. That was probably how it was going to happen. She just had to tell him the right time.

"You know," the Doctor said after a while. "I know that you're waiting for the right version of me that coincides with you… but this thing that you're doing could be dangerous. There may be something that you need to know right away. I was thinking that perhaps I could run a few minor tests while you're here. Just to keep you safe."

Rose hesitated a moment and thought it over before she nodded. The Doctor smiled and pulled a few things out of his bigger on the inside pockets. The first thing he picked up was strange and similar at the same time. It was a slim metal cylinder, like a pen, with a ring standing on the top, a red bullet like thing inside it.

"Is that a sonic-screwdriver?" she said in a mix of realisation and disbelief.

"You sound surprised," the Doctor said as he began to scan her head to tow a few times, adjusting settings as he went. But it made the unmistakable sonic noise.

"I'm used to it looking different."

"Yes, I do make a new one now and then," he laughed as he finished up. The next thing he picked up was a tourniquet and a syringe. Rose shuddered. She didn't like needles. The Doctor seemed to notice her apprehension and smiled at her reassuringly as he tied the tourniquet around her arm. "It's okay," he told her softly. "It won't hurt. Just look at me."

She did. She didn't look away from his pale blue eyes. His eyes flicked down to her arm from time to time, but most of the time they remained locked on hers.

"You know, I just realised we never ran any tests after Satellite 5," she said, trying to distract herself. "I mean, I nearly died. We should have done some tests after what I did, but we were so distracted by the regeneration and then all the running and Cassandra and Sarah Jane-" she stopped short when she realised she was probably telling him too much. "Actually, I don't know why we didn't think to do it when you told me what I did to the Daleks."

"Daleks?" he said in surprise. She realised he had been done with the blood test a while now and it was back in his pocket. "You've met the Daleks?" She nodded and he sighed. "We're having a little bit of trouble with the Daleks back on Gallifrey," he admitted. "Actually, it's not looking too good at all. At this rate a war is going to break out any day now."

Rose couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips. This was right before the Time War. This Doctor sat before her, about to go into the most brutal war ever fought throughout the history of the universe. Millions upon billions of people (of so many species) would die, planets would burn and be destroyed. And the Doctor would walk away, the last of his kind, broken and without hope.

This Doctor before her had no idea of his fate.

Ignoring the fact that if she wanted to stay longer that she should probably not move, she jumped from her seat, went around the table and threw her arms around him. He was a little startled but held her back anyway.

"There is going to be a war, isn't there?" he asked, knowing the answer. He always had. Rose just nodded into his shoulder. She pulled back, took his face in her hands and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Please, be safe. Be careful."

He chuckled a little at that. "It's not like I'm going to die… well, permanently. I haven't properly met you, yet. I think I'll be okay."

"There are more painful things than death," she said quietly, her voice cracking. She couldn't stand the thought of how much pain he would be in. The Doctor just blinked at her, understanding what she meant, but not the true extent of it.

"Come on," he said quietly. "Let's go to the TARDIS and I can give you a quick result." With weak smiles, they made their way over to his TARDIS. Like the other one she had seen, it was ever so slightly different to how she was used to it looking, but only by a little bit. Only someone who knew the TARDIS extremely well would be able to tell.

He pulled out a strange card like thing on a necklace, pushed aside the key hole (which turned out to be a fake) and slipped the card in to unlock it. She was a little surprised by that. She had never even thought that at one point the lock would be a fake.

The Doctor held out an arm to let her go first. She looked in at the _very_ different room inside that was dark and spacious and even had furniture. Curiously she moved forward and stepped into…

…a supermarket.

Oh, for god's sake!

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><p><em><strong>Hey everyone! Sorry this one took so long. I was a little stuck on 8. I wasn't too sure on how he acted and when I tried to watch the movie I only lasted until Grace ran away from him in the park till I got massively sick of it and couldn't watch any more. I don't really think this version of him was very well thought out. And that melodramatic 'Who am I?' scene drove me nuts.<strong>_

_**Anyway, I can promise that it wont take this long again, considering that I already have the next 3 ½ chapters written.**_

_**Just so you know, at this point Rose can recognise the Doctor instantly. It's a bit like they have a connection, but also, he's the only one who calls her Loupa and she can see it in his eyes.**_

_**I know I'm making them slightly out of character, but I'm getting across the point that she's different. He doesn't know why, but he can feel it.**_

_**Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Please review!**_


	6. Crossing Timelines

_**I know I said I was going to wait with this chapter, but I'm EXTREMELY impatient.**_

_**This chapter is all about 9 and Jack, just a little accidental crossing of the timelines. A little bit angst-y.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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><p>.<p>

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**Crossing Timelines**

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The second she appeared, Rose was assaulted by the busy crowds. Bright colours, loud noises and violently strong and confusing smells flooded her senses as she was battered every which way by too many species to count. All around her were brightly coloured stalls and their traders hawking their wares.

"Rose," a familiar Northern accent behind her, startled her. She whipped around to face the big eared, blue eyed Doctor that she had first fallen for. "Are you alright?" he asked her, he tried to look closer, but she hid her face behind her hair. "You look a little overwhelmed. I thought you had gone back to get that horrible perfume. Hey, have you changed clothes? Wh-"

He didn't get the chance to say anything else, because Rose had hurled her slender frame at him in a bone crushing hug. The Doctor held her to him, although he was a little surprised. They never hugged like this. Their hugs had been sweet, but quick and fleeting. This was more like the hugs she would share with his next incarnation. It was almost desperate in her need to feel this him in her arms one last time.

"Rose, wh-" He was cut off once again when, before she knew what she was doing, her lips pressed against his. He was frozen in shock for a moment, then he shocked _her_ - and no doubt, himself - when he began to kiss her back.

When they broke apart, he was standing there, stunned by his actions, and gaping like a fish. She turned her head, knowing that if she let him look close enough that he would know she was from a different timeline, for sure. He was so perceptive and he knew her better than anyone else.

As she looked away, she saw an angry flash of blonde making its way towards them. Quickly she ran towards and past the rather pissed off, jealous looking girl, leaving the Doctor to fend for himself against her past self.

Rose couldn't help laughing at the memory for what she knew would happen next.

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_Rose grinned triumphantly as she clutched the small perfume bottle in her hand. She laughed, knowing how mean and teasing she was being. She remembered how the saleswoman had surprised her, spraying a small squirt of the perfume in her face. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation - it felt strangely nice against her skin and it didn't sting her eyes - but it had still been a shock. The Doctor had spun her around by the shoulders and asked if she was okay. That had been when he'd gotten a whiff of the perfume the lady at the stall was calling 'No Reservations'. He took on a dreamy expression and a soft smile tugged at his lips. She was confused and starting to get a little worried for him, when he suddenly stiffened and snapped out of it. His hands had gripped her shoulders rather tightly._

_Ever since, she had seen the same dreamy expression in his face as he stared at her. And she had even caught him leaning towards her a few times, like he couldn't help gravitating towards the scent. It wasn't just him though. Even Jack had tried to kiss her once or twice. And he kept sniffing at her like she was a good and intoxicating wine._

_It was a little weird, but she had thought their reaction to the perfume HILARIOUS! So she had to buy it, if not just for a laugh… even if it really did smell divine. When she had asked the Doctor if she could go back and buy some - pretending that she was completely oblivious to the way it appeared to affect men - he had practically BEGGED her not to. But she was stubborn and he could never withhold anything from her for long. So naturally she won._

_The saleswoman had been happy to see her return and had launched off on a scientific explanation of how it worked that would have put the Doctor's next incarnation to shame. All she had been able to pick up on was that it would let her natural pheromones through, and if that stimulated the chemicals: dopamine, phenylethylamine, norepinephirne, serotonin, oxytocin or vasopressin in the male's brain then it would block his fear receptors and a whole bunch of other chemicals that she just couldn't remember. (She was amazed she could remember the first few, and even then, dopamine and serotonin were the only ones that sounded vaguely familiar). So she had no idea what all this meant._

_She was looking forward to seeing his horrified expression when he saw that she really had bought it. And then she had seen them. The Doctor held a blonde woman in his arms and was kissing her fiercely. She felt hurt wash over her. He never even looked at her that way, and now he was kissing someone he didn't even know! Then anger and jealousy burned through her. She charged towards them._

_As she got closer, the blonde woman, whose face she could barely see, ran off in her direction and disappeared into the crowed. When she reached the Doctor he looked absolutely stunned. His mouth hanging open, eyes wide and his expression was slightly dreamy. When he saw her he looked VERY confused._

"_Who the hell was that, Doctor?" she said more bitterly than she had meant to. The Doctor looked at her in bewilderment and he pointed to her and then the crowd in confusion. "Since when did you start snogging random strangers?"_

_The Doctor just stared at her in utter confusion. "B-but you…" he stuttered, still looking out at the crowed. Suddenly he seemed to realise something and she watched the horror grow on his face. He looked back at her, his eyes wide and full of fear._

"_Doctor?" she asked worryingly. Next thing she knew she was wrapped in his tight embrace. He had never held her this fiercely before. Not even when he had nearly lost her. "Are you okay?" she asked him._

"_I'll always be okay, as long as you're here with me," he said, his voice trembling slightly. She wrapped her arms around him gently. She'd never seen him like this before._

"_Then I'll never leave you," she whispered. Her head was tucked into his rapidly beating chest, so she did not see the pained grimace that flashed across his face. Because he knew that she could not keep that promise._

_._

_A few minutes later Jack came back looking rather shaken. "Oh, you too, huh?" she laughed. "You poor boys aren't having the best day are you?" Jack just stared at her critically. Just staring at her and taking every detail in, it was like he was looking intently for something that wasn't there. "Jack?"_

_Jack shook his head to clear it and looked at her. "Yeah, sorry. Bit of a weird day."_

_The rest of the day the two men had been oddly silent and both rather sad. She kept catching Jack glancing at her strangely. At one point she saw the Doctor whisper something to Jack. He just shrugged his shoulders. He had no clue. But Rose knew, she could tell, that whatever the Doctor had asked him, Jack was lying._

_._

Hmm, she actually hadn't seen that perfume since the day she bought it. No doubt the Doctor had pilfered it and hidden it from her.

Rose was so wrapped up in the memory that she didn't notice when she bumped into someone. She started to fall but their strong hands kept her up.

"Rose," she heard a grinning American accent. She focused her eyes into the present in time to see Jack's smile fade from his face to be replaced by confusion. "You're wearing different clothes," he remarked in concern. "And you're older and… Oh, you're from the future…"

"What?" she tried to act confused. Usually she was a good actor. But this was Jack. He was like an older brother to her and could see right through her.

"Don't play daft Rose, I know you. I can see it in your eyes. You're older and despite the fact you're laughing, there is a heck of a lot of pain." Rose hung her head in defeat. "When are you from?"

She sighed, deciding to give him this much - or as much as she could allow. Jack was almost as persistent as her. "This is just before Kyoto, right? Here, visit with my mother - good luck, by the way - and Kyoto." He looked at her in amusement and raised an eyebrow. "Right, sorry. Just been to Raxacoricofallapatorius?"

"Yep," he grinned.

"Okay, for me, just over two years."

"Is me and the Doctor with you?" Rose felt tears coming to her eyes. How could she tell him that he was probably dead? The Doctor had said he was rebuilding the Earth, but she knew he had been lying.

"No," she croaked.

"What happened?"

"I can't tell you, Jack," she raised her eyes to his. The pain there was enough to silence him.

"How did you get here if the Doctor isn't with you?"

"Another thing I can't tell you. Though, knowing my luck, and knowing you. You're going to see it happen."

"See what happen? Rose, you're starting to worry me."

"Good, I am too," she replied. She had to get out of here. If she stayed any longer she was bound to cause a paradox. She took a deep breath. "Jack… can you please not tell them. The past me and the Doctor. Especially not the Doctor. You can't tell them you saw me, and you can't tell them what you're about to see."

"What am I about to see?" he asked grabbing her wrist.

"Stick around long enough and I'm sure you'll find out," she said bitterly. Then she pulled him into a huge hug, like she had the Doctor. She gently pressed her lips to his, like he had done before he had died. "I'm coming back," she assured him.

Then she turned and walked away. Jack, who still gripped her wrist, padded along behind her. As promised, it wasn't long till she felt his hand disappear from her wrist as the world around her faded.

**?...DW…?**

It was a few weeks later that Rose saw him again. She'd been confused about why she had appeared in a park near the Estate. She had no idea what time it was - unfortunately that eerily accurate time voice didn't always want to work - so she thought it best not to go and see her mum - the past version, pretending that she was her younger self.

She had sat on the swing, just swinging lazily and making sure that her feet did not touch the ground - she liked the quiet moments where she wasn't constantly moving - for a good fifteen minutes when suddenly he was sitting on the swing next to her. He was looking at her with dark, sad, brooding blue eyes. He didn't say a word for a long time. Eventually he began to swing slightly while she let her swing slow down more.

"When's it happen?" he asked quietly. "How do we get separated?"

"I'm crossing my own timeline - travelling in time. What makes you think we're separated?" she asked back, just as quietly.

"Because I would be by your side," he said adamantly. He floundered for a moment before finding a fix-it. "I mean, I wouldn't even let you cross your own timeline, let alone let you face it alone." She smiled sadly. And he tried again, using the same quite tone he had before. "How?"

"I can't tell you," she whispered.

"Could you at least tell me when?"

Rose thought it over a moment. He had known something bad was going to happen. 'A storm is coming' he had said… And it's not like he could do anything to stop it anyway. And… he had told her that the Beast was lying, he had mainly been trying to comfort her and he was promising himself he would make sure it didn't happen. But he had sounded so adamant, like he _knew_ she wouldn't die.

"Hold on…" she murmured as she did the calculations in her head. "Just over a year," she whispered almost too quietly for him to hear. But he had. He drew in a sharp breath and sat stone still.

She looked back up at her mother's flat as she realised what day this was. "I'm up there right now," she said. "Jack is flirting with Mum and she's flirting right back. It was rather scary actually. But then he says the wrong thing and she slaps him. He probably shouldn't have mentioned wanting to get both you and me in bed," she giggled, but it turned into a sigh. "I'm going to miss him."

"What, and you're not going to miss me?" he tried to lighten the mood.

"I have, every day since it happened," she told him in the same soft voice. "Even the days like today where I do see you from afar or even talk to you. But even if I do find the right you, he won't be there…"

"'Nother thing you won't tell me?" She nodded. "Fair enough, can't have you making _another_ paradox now, can we?" he teased. "So I'm going to see you - this you - again in the future?"

"Hopefully," she smiled. "We get separated, I'll tell you that because you've already figured it out. And I will tell you this, because I don't want you to ever lose hope. I'm coming back. I'm going to find you."

"I have no doubt you will," he smiled at her fondly. Rose just stared up at the flat again, rocking the swing gently and saying nothing. "You look so sad," he whispered.

"What did you expect," was her reply.

"You'll find me," he told her.

"Some times it seems impossible. I've been searching for seven months and I haven't even glimpsed the right version of you." she sighed, knowing he didn't even get that. That she literally meant a different version, not a version from a different timeline. "Rose believed in the golden light," she misquoted the first line. "The orgiastic future, that year by year recedes before us. It eludes us then, but that's no matter. Tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms further… then one fine day… -So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

"The Great Gatsby."

"Extremely depressing, but good. You got me to read it… I don't know why I like that quote so much. It just stuck."

"Rose."

"Yeah?" she sighed.

"Don't _you_ give up hope either."

She looked up into his lovely blue eyes and smiled. "I promise," she said. "This time, I'm gonna keep it." Her eyes flicked back up to the apartment and she saw movement behind the windows. "I'm coming," she told him sadly. "You should better go."

The Doctor nodded and stood. Then he paused and thought a moment before pulling her up and enfolding her in his arms. It was a long, tender and desperate hug. They needed this. They needed each other. And Rose remembered what this night was. This was the night that the Doctor would walk into her room, and hold her all night. This was the night that he needed to know she was okay.

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_Rose looked up as she heard the door shut. There, just in the doorway was a rather sad and nervous looking Doctor. She put her book to the side - The Great Gatsby; he'd just suggested that she read it a few hours ago - and sat up straighter._

"_Doctor, are you okay?" she asked him softly. When he looked up at her, she saw deep pain in his eyes. Perhaps he had been thinking of Gallifrey again…_

"_Erm, do you - do you mind if I…" he was looking at her bed uncomfortably and she got the hint. She pulled the covers down from the left side of her bed and patted it._

"_Come on," she smiled at him. He seemed relived and he kicked off his boots and slid in beside her. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer, then picked up the book and smiled… almost sadly._

_He had read to her until she was nearly asleep. Then he had put the book down and pulled her even closer, holding onto her gently, but with everything he had. Like he never wanted to let go. She had fallen asleep, and he probably had at some point too. But he held her all night, and well into the morning._

_She had wondered what had bought this on. He had never even SAT on her bed before. Something must have been very, very bad. She could tell that something had hurt him. Something had him really scared. And he needed the comfort. So she would give it to him. Because he needed her._

.

Trying not to cry, Rose took a deep breath and caught his scent of leather and time and oil grease and that little hint of something that could only be described as 'Doctor'. It wasn't until they heard her past self call out to the Doctor that they untangled themselves and he left. When the Time Lord looked back to see this Rose one last time, she was gone.

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><p><em><strong>Right, for all of you who only vaguely recognise the words dopamine and serotonin, the perfume is basically an inhibition remover. To put it simply: the perfume boosts her natural pheromones and when someone who loves her smells that it removes all their fears and doubts and majority of their strength to restrain them selves. Hence why it's called 'No Reservations'. It's also why Jack kept trying to kiss her and why the Doctor was leaning towards her (of course his will power is stronger than most).<strong>_

_**And don't worry, there will be more 9 and more Jack to come!**_


	7. Old Friends

_**Aaaand… Here's some Jack!**_

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><p>.<p>

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**Old Friends**

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The first thing Rose knew, was the sound of the metallic click of a gun… two guns.

"Alright, whatever you are, turn around slowly," a man said. Naturally, as anyone with a gun trained at them would, she complied. She saw that she was in some sort of underground base, just a small one. A water feature ran right down the middle and she caught a glimpse of a leathery wing.

A startled looking Asian woman sat frozen at her high-tech looking computers. A man stood, holding a tray of drinks, his mouth hanging open. The other man was aiming a gun at her, as was the other woman… who looked strangely familiar…

"Gwyneth?" Rose cried in surprise. The woman looked at her, completely bewildered.

"Gwen? How does she know your name?" the man with the gun growled. Then he looked at his friend. "And since when has it been 'Gwyneth'?"

"Who the hell are you?" Gwen's grip on the gun tightened.

"It's okay," she soothed, holding out her hands. "I'm unarmed. I'm R-"

"Rose!" a very familiar voice cried. She looked up to see the man who had just entered the room.

"Jack!" she cried in delight. Ignoring the guns, she ran at him and jumped into his arms. He laughed as he held her tight and spun her around.

"Ha ha! Rose Tyler, oh, I have missed you!" And with that, he planted a kiss on her lips.

"Jack!" she tried to complain through her laughter.

"I was just saying hello," he said lightly. "And if I remember correctly, it was you who kissed me first."

"I thought you were going to die!" she exclaimed. Then it clicked. Jack knew her, he was older, he wasn't with her and the Doctor… "Hang on, you were dead. You died on Satellite 5! The Doctor said you were fixing Earth, but I knew he was lying. You were dead!"

"Yeah, he just has a problem _staying_ dead," the man with the gun scoffed. Both he and Gwen had lowered their weapons and were watching on in surprised amusement and a fair amount of interest and curiosity.

"Shut it, Owen," Jack snapped.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked at the same time.

"He just doesn't stay dead. You kill him, and he pops right back to life!"

"I said, shut it, Owen!" Jack growled.

"You - you can't die," Rose gasped. "What happened?"

Jack shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know," he replied.

"You're lying," she said flatly. Just like he knew her, she knew him.

"Yeah," Own put in. "You said that you found your Doctor, and he told you what was wrong. You've been holding out on us for years. We're your team, we deserve to know!"

"It's a private conversation between me and Rose," Jack said in annoyance.

"Oh, so we're left in the dark again?" Owen said bitterly. "We don't know a bloody thing about you. Jack Harkness isn't even your real name. And you just expect us to trust you! And then some blonde bimbo appears literally out of nowhere and you're ready to tell her everything. What's so special about her? Is she one of your little fuck buddies? Why does she-"

"Because she's the reason I'm like this!" Jack shouted furiously. He had just wanted Owen off his back. To shut the hell up before he hurt his best friend. But he realised he had said the wrong thing. If he_ had _to tell Rose - which he had been trying to avoid - he had wanted to tell her gently. "Shit! Rose I…" He saw the shocked and horrified look on her face. "It's not your fault."

"J-Jack… what do you mean 'I'm the reason you're like this'?"

Jack, who had been tugging ant his hair, sighed in resignation and let his hand drop heavily to his side. "You came back after he sent you away on Satellite 5, right?" She nodded. "He said you absorbed the Time Vortex… What do you remember?"

"Only what he told me," she replied. "That I came back, saved him, wiped out the Daleks and that he regenerated from taking it out of me."

"Yeah… well, what he didn't tell you was that you also bought me back to life. The Daleks killed me, and when you felt it, you bought me back. But you didn't know how to control it and you bought me back permanently."

"Oh my god! Jack, I'm so sorry!" she cried, jumping into his arms again. She felt guilty and absolutely horrified at herself that she had done that to him.

"Hey, it's okay, Sweetie," he soothed her. "I've had a long time to get used to it. Besides, not everyone has and honorary little sister who cares for you so much that they make you immortal."

"_Little _sister!" she laughed, taking the distraction. "Excuse me, Mister. You were born in the 51st century. I'm hundreds of years older than you!" She didn't see his team's baffled expressions.

"Please tell me you don't mean that literally… 'Cause I do."

"No, I'm only 22. I'm guessing that you're older than a hundred then?"

"Yeah, might be older than that Time Lord one day."

"So… you've seen him since…"

"It's been over a year for him now… two years if you count the Year that Never Happened, which him, me and Martha Jones do." He couldn't help shuddering as he remembered. And those memories bought up others of his latest adventure with the Doctor. And something clicked. "Hang on, you're not in the parallel universe!" he cried in delight.

Rose laughed. "Finally caught up, did you?"

"But the Doctor said you were trapped."

"I was, but I found a way out. It's a long story, if I can stick around long enough I'll tell you… Is - is he okay?"

Jack sighed. He had wanted to press her about this 'way out'. But her question stopped him short. He knew right away who she was talking about. She needed to know… But how could he tell her about the pain he'd seen in the Doctor's eyes when he'd told him what had happened. His anger when he and Martha had spoken of her bitterly in their jealousy. The way the Master had used her to taunt him. Even going so far as to dig things up when Jackie had still been in this London, and bring stuff from her old flat aboard the Valiant. He had even named the ship in her 'honour'. Or about that first night in the abandoned warehouse, hearing him whimper her name in his sleep. And that was only what he had seen. Martha had seen much worse.

"He misses you," was all he finally said.

Realising how personal the conversation had become, the rest of the team had moved back to what they were doing, awkwardly keeping an ear out and sneaking glances. So they all stopped in confusion when they noticed the blonde had changed moods.

Rose was now frozen, staring at the far wall. Her insides had turned to ice when she saw the large honeycomb T logo on the walls and windows.

"What's this?" she hissed.

Jack saw where she was looking and groaned. "Rose, it's not what you think."

"You work for Torchwood!" she shouted. "Jack, how could you?"

"Rose-"

"They ruined my life!" she shrieked. It took all she had not to move from the spot. Hot, angry tears began leaking silently and unwillingly from her eyes. "They tore him from me!"

"Rose, we're not like that!" he said firmly, grabbing her arms and trying to calm her. "Canary Warf was Torchwood 1. We had nothing to do with it, didn't even know what they were doing. I thought you were dead! I was devastated! So when Torchwood 1 went down, I took over and rebuilt it. We help now. Doing what you, me and the Doctor used to do. I remade it in the Doctor's honour… for you." Rose had calmed down slightly and was reduced to sniffling in Jacks arms. She hated it when she got so angry and upset that she would cry.

But Jack didn't seem to care. He just held her, rubbing her back. Guiltily, the team turned back to what they were doing again. They all knew about Canary Warf. Especially Ianto, he had even seen this blonde woman there. He knew exactly what had happened. And everyone except Gwen had seen what Jack was like after it had happened. Tosh had been there the day that Jack had read the list of the dead. She'd never forget the look on his face…

"Come on," Jack said gently. "We'll go to my office and we can talk."

Rose nodded into his shoulder then laughed hollowly. "You'll have to carry me."

**?...DW…?**

A few hours later they were completely up to date. Jack told her what he had been up to in the hundred years or so since he had last seen her. He had even - very reluctantly - told her about the last time he had seen the Doctor. He had laughed at how jealous she had sounded when he had talked about Martha. But he'd assured her that if anything, the Doctor had been too caught up on her to even see Martha properly.

Then she had told Jack about the year he had missed with her and the Doctor. He had laughed so much when she told him that it was her fault that Torchwood was created in the first place. And then she told him about what had happened since she had been travelling. How strange it was, and especially strange seeing the Doctor in every incarnation.

"So that really was you!" he laughed after she had just finished her most recent tale about crossing her timeline. "I gotta tell you, that disappearing act you pulled kept me on edge for ages. I kept looking to see if you'd do it again."

"Mmm, I noticed," she said dryly. "I kept wondering why you were looking at me so weirdly. You have no idea how freaked out I was. You were looking at me as if I were about to disappear any second, and the Doctor was clinging to me like he were about to lose me for good!"

"I can imagine," Jack laughed. He watched as Rose greedily ate her sixth piece of pizza. He knew her very well, and he knew that she could only ever fit in four pieces maximum - and that was if she was very hungry and was forcing herself to finish. She must be _very_ hungry if she was able to eat nearly a whole one by herself. "Rose, when was the last time you ate?" he asked in concern. He had noticed that she was horribly skinny and her skin was starting to become translucent from malnourishment.

"A few days," she said honestly. "It's not easy finding time to eat when you're constantly on the move. Just one step towards the stall and you're gone. And then you have to have the money in the first place. I tried selling my jewellery at first. Then I started to busk and even gamble. I could have tried mugging someone, but that's just horrible. I wasn't _that_ desperate."

"Right, Missy, you're staying here and I am taking care of you and getting some food in you until you look healthy again. Even if I have to force you to stay on this couch for a month!"

"You can try!" she laughed. "Actually, that would be nice… apart from the not moving thing. I would go mad. So I'll stay as long as I can. But you shouldn't be too worried if I just disappear. It could happen in the next hour - which it won't, because I need a decent sleep," she grinned cheekily. "Or in a few weeks from now."

"Alright then, deal," he grinned back at her. "I'll set the couch up for you."

"Where is your place anyway?"

"Here," he replied simply. "Easier access if anything happens with the rift."

"Mmm, speaking of the rift… remember that story me and the Doctor told you about the Gelth and Charles Dickens?"

"Yeah."

"Well… Would Gwen happen to have travelled through the rift herself? From a different time or something?"

"No," he said sounding confused. "Why?"

"Well, Gwen… looks _just_ like Gwyneth."

"You're kidding!" he laughed.

"Nope! Looks, name, voice all the same!"

"Don't you just love our lives?"

**?...DW…?**

Rose was ecstatic. Euphoric even. Delighted didn't quite seem to cover it. Twelve days. That's how long she had been with Jack. Twelve days. That was the longest she'd stayed in one place since she started jumping again. And it was even better that it was with her best friend /slash/ honorary brother.

Jack had done as he'd said, and now she was looking much healthier. She had her colour back, you could no longer see her vanes quite so clearly and she no longer looked like she was turning into a skeleton. It was nice to just relax for a while.

Well… relaxing as things could be at Torchwood. It reminded her of being with the Doctor again. Only things seemed a little more tense and violent. She was almost annoyed at how much Jack's team swore. Okay, yeah, she was a grown woman… didn't mean she had to like it. But still she enjoyed it here.

She especially liked Tosh. The woman was so sweet, and even though she seemed a little distant and attached to her computers, she was really lovely. Today Tosh looked utterly adorable. She was wearing a purple dress top over top of her pants. She was all dressed up. Apparently today they were unfreezing a soldier from the 1800's that Tosh quite fancied.

The entire team was affected by her happy mood. Even surly Owen - albeit he was a little more down than the others. Rose could tell that deep down he may even have a thing for Tosh (not quite as big as she had for him, but still), but he was being sweet and simply telling her to be careful. He didn't want to see her hurt.

The soldier, Tommy, as actually quite cute. He reminded her of Neville Longbottom from the Harry Potter films… the last two, where he looked really hot…

None of them were expecting for this to be the year that Tommy was _actually_ needed. But unfortunately for Tosh, it was. And things had been going so well for the two of them. And now he was being sent back to his own time… where he would be killed for 'cowardice'. Now he was back at Tosh's place. Three guesses as to what they were doing. But it was so sad in a way.

Rose went to talk to Jack later on. She paused at the door when she saw Ianto standing there. She heard their conversation and heard Jack say that he was glad that he hadn't stayed put, that he wouldn't have missed meeting all these new people to love for the world. She knew exactly what he was talking about. Sure sometimes it was heartbreaking, but it was so worth it.

She wasn't exactly surprised (Well, slightly on Ianto's side - if it weren't for the looks she'd seen from him) when Jack and Ianto were suddenly snogging the faces off each other. She knew that Jack was happy, and with a small smile, she turned and left… By morning, there wasn't a Rose Tyler to be found in Torchwood.


	8. Washed Away

**Washed Away**

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Rose gasped as she was hit by freezing cold. Quickly she wrapped her arms around herself. The icy wind was such a shock compared to the burning hot ship she'd been in for the last minute. - She was glad she managed to leave before it fell into the sun. She was gone right after a woman made an announcement that a man had killed one other their crew. - Her breath came out in visible clouds before her. She really was going from one extreme to the other here!

Looking around she saw that she was on a huge ship - sea ship. Inside looked warm and inviting, music and soft chatter drifted faintly out to her. But out here it was dim and very cold, so there weren't many people out, mainly crew. But it wasn't hard to see the familiar leather clad figure leaning against the rails.

Smiling she made her way over, and leant against the rail with him. She knew that he knew she was there, but he didn't acknowledge her. He just stared distantly out over the frigid waters. Her smile faded as she realised why.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, placing a hand on his arm. The Doctor flashed her a grimace that she knew was supposed to be a smile. Sympathetically, she leaned in closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder to comfort him as she joined in looking across the water. She knew there was nothing she could say to him. The only thing she could do was let him know she was there.

After a few minutes of the silence, Rose started to gaze about. The ship was huge. Smoke billowed from its four large chimney things. It was all lit up. To her it looked like a romantic scene from 'The Titanic'…

"Oh my _god!_" she cried.

"What?" he said, finally breaking out of his reverie, confused by her behaviour.

"We're on the bloody _Titanic!_" she exclaimed.

"Yes, we are," the Doctor stated in his usual manor.

"The Ti-tan-ic!" she said slowly, breaking it up into syllables. Then she groaned. "Oh, god. What's the date?"

"Half an hour."

"What?"

"What you're really asking," he said, "is when this ship is going to sink. And I'm telling you it's in half an hour."

"Oh."

They turned back to the sea and silence descended on them again. It wasn't uncomfortable. In fact they both felt quite content standing beside each other, their shoulders brushing as they listened to the parting of the waters below. They both had something on their mind.

Rose was thinking about her time with the Doctor. She could remember the first time she saw him, how the very next day she had tried to find out about him and ended up talking to Clive. There had been a picture of him with a family who he'd convinced not to board the Titanic… of course, trust him to get on it.

But he'd once told her that he met her not long after regenerating. Which meant that he was going to meet her very soon. But it was clear that he knew her - this her. So he had to somehow forget her, probably tonight. She had a feeling it would have something to do with what he'd said in his eighth incarnation.

The Doctor was thinking about the last time he saw her too. But he was thinking of that test. He had spent years looking at it. The results were incredible. He didn't understand how it happened, but he knew what had happened to her to get her like this. The amount of radiation on her from the Time Vortex had astounded him… until he realised it wasn't just radiation from the Time Vortex that she carried.

It was actually running through her. Not much of it, not a terribly notice amount at first, and certainly not enough to harm her.

"I've been looking at those test results," he finally broke the silence. The distraction would be good.

"What?"

"The tests… You know, the DNA tests and the scans I took last time I saw you. I've had a while to analyse them since you disappeared before I could give you the basics. You don't really have much to worry about. But you were right about the fact you're-"

"No!" Rose suddenly cried cutting him off. "Doctor, you can't know any of this. You're not supposed to. You're not even supposed to know _who_ I am, let alone _what_ I am. You've got to get rid of that data before you forget me!"

"For-forget you… But why would I forget you?" he pouted.

"Because you have to," she told him sadly. "We've been over this. You don't know who I am when you meet me. And you're in your ninth incarnation now. It's going to be soon."

"But I can't forget you," he said stubbornly. He sounded upset by the very idea.

"You _have_ to," she told him firmly. "You don't even know my real name. Look at me, Doctor. Tell me who and what I am…"

The Doctor looked up at her with the dark sad blue eyes she had first known. "Your name, or alias, is Loupa," he said softly. "Your real name begins with an 'R' and I bet that it's as beautiful as you are. You are human… well, born human at least. Still mostly human, but somehow you've come into contact with the Time Vortex and it's changed you. I don't understand that bit, it should have killed you."

He paused and took a deep breath, closing his eyes before staring deeply into hers. "You're the one thing, other than the TARDIS, that has been there throughout my life. The one companion that's always there… every incarnation. The one person I can depend on to show up and make me happy. You're the impossible girl who disappears when she walks and can speak G-" he cut himself off, chocking up. "Who can speak…" But he just couldn't finish that sentence. Seeing his pain, Rose couldn't stand it. She took the last few steps closer to him and wrapped her arms around him as he began to sob. "I don't want to be alone," he croaked.

"And you wont be," she told him as she continued to hold him. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry about Gallifrey. It was beautiful, and I was so glad that I got to see it. I'm sorry that your head will always feel empty. But I can promise that you will never be alone. You have the TARDIS, and soon you'll have me. I swear, it's not long now. Some day soon you're going to come across a young, innocent, fully human me. And she is going to be swept off her feet. And she will stay with you as long as she possibly can. And if anything _ever_ tries to separate you, she will do anything she can to get back. She would spend her whole life doing it! - Though, I really hope it doesn't take that long.

But even when I'm gone, you have someone to care for you. I've seen it, I'll make sure of it. But you have to forget me. You already know too much about me. Please, when you meet me, you can't know. You have to forget me, erase those files… at least lock them away!"

"But I don't want to forget you," he told her desperately, clinging to her tighter. "I don't want you to go. Please, Loupa, you have to stay with me."

"It's only for a little while," she told him gently, pulling back and wiping the tears from his cheek. "I'm not from your timeline. I have to go. I have to find the future you, now. Please… you have to."

Sighing heavily, the Doctor nodded reluctantly. "Alright, come on… I'll… I'll lock those files. It'll be the same with the memories. I can't erase them completely, but I can hide them away." He started to walk away, but stopped when he noticed Rose wasn't coming. "What's the matter?"

"I don't want to go yet…" she told him. The Doctor smiled the tiniest fond smile and rolled his eyes. In a few quick steps he was back beside her, then she was swept up in his arms. And he carried her back to the TARDIS.

**?...DW…?**

When they reached the TARDIS, the Doctor gently placed her down on the ground.

"Erm…" he said almost awkwardly. "I'm afraid you'll have to stay here," he told her. "I figured out that if you step foot on the TARDIS, she'll stabilise you and you'll be stuck in that time frame until you can figure out how to work it. It's just that you two have very similar-"

"Tell me in a couple of years, yeah, Doctor?" she said holding up her hand.

"Alright," he said. "But you should probably know that your stay still theory is right. For some reason the physical moment of your legs when you walk is like turning on the ignition. So stay put." Then he turned and walked into the TARDIS.

Peering in, Rose could see that the console room was the same as ever. Inside, the Doctor had turned the monitor towards the door so she could see what he was doing. She could faintly see the medical data flash up on the screen before zooming into a folder labelled 'Loupa'. He placed a lock on it and a password box popped up. He left the password blank, but typed in the hint box 'You'll remember it one day'.

"I'm going to hate myself for that," he grinned. He clicked into the password box, then walked over to her with some sort of pad. "You can choose the password," he told her, giving her the pad that looked like a mini keyboard. "Make it something I'll only know once I've met you."

With a smile, she hid the pad from his view and punched in R-O-S-E. Then she handed it back. "Hint number two," she said. "It's my name." She had expected the Doctor to at least smile a little at that. But if anything, it only made him look sadder. "What's wrong?"

"I have to forget now…" he told her. "I don't want to forget you."

"It's not for long," she promised, reaching up a hand to caress his cheek. He leaned in ever so slightly to her touch and closed his eyes painfully. "Couple of weeks tops, yeah?" He nodded. "You still hadn't even seen your reflection when we met. Had no idea about those giant satellite dishes on the side of your head."

"Those _what_?" he reached up and felt his ears, his expression close to a pout. Rose began to laugh. He chuckled along with her for a moment, before he sighed dejectedly. "Alright, I can unlock the memories at a certain time, if I hear something. So… how about 'Remember that time on the Titanic'. Just say that and I'll remember… I should probably…"

"Yeah," she sighed, nodding heavily. Then she leant up on tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm going to miss you," she whispered in his ear. "This you… I'm going to miss you like this. I love you, Doctor." And she pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

He didn't seem half shocked as she had expected. "Goodbye," he whispered. Then he leant down and kissed her, the kiss was deeper than the first one and she smiled into it.

"Goodbye," she replied against his lips. Then she took a step back and he closed his eyes, a look of concentration on his face.

Sadly Rose walked away towards the rail again, leaving before she reached it.

.

It was done, he had forgotten her… well, all of those moments she had met his previous incarnations. She hadn't thought that she had made that much of an impact on him. After all, she only popped up once for a few minutes in every incarnation. That was only nine times that he'd met her.

She must have made more of an impression than she thought, because he seemed very, very reluctant for her to go. Of course, he _had_ just lost everything, and she had been the only thing he knew and cherished that he had left.

But now all that was gone. She had been wiped from his memory. She had been washed away like footsteps in the sand.

.

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* * *

><p><em><strong>*Sniff* Well, it had to happen some time! I chose the Titanic because… well, a) it's one place we knew he'd be. And 2) I really, REALLY wanted to. I've had this chapter written for MONTHS. So it's a big bitter sweet.<strong>_

_**After this we get to start seeing 10 again. And lots of people have asked me, so: No sorry, I will not be adding 11 in. I've already got a future 10 in there, going up to 11 would just be TOO dangerous with her knowing that much of her future.**_

_**Hope you enjoyed it!**_


	9. Without Her

_**Hello! Warning, this chapter has physical violence, too. Let's just say that Rose runs into someone at a very bad time…**_

_**But she also meets someone at two different points in her life. Very good friend in the making.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

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**Without Her**

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A hospital. What would Rose Tyler be doing in a hospital? As far as she was concerned, she didn't need to be here. She wasn't ill or injured. And the Doctor wouldn't be either. Besides, he hated hospitals. She highly doubted he'd be here… But, as usual, anywhere she landed was worth the look. And they'd had an adventure in a hospital before… Who knew?

Quietly she made her way around the hospital. Occasionally she'd be pulled over by a nurse, but generally she found that if she kept her head down, no one really noticed her. It worked just as well as the 'I own this place' technique.

She knew something wasn't quite right. The air tasted almost metallic and everyone was getting shocked left right and centre… Her suspicions were confirmed when suddenly the rain outside started to fall up. And with a giant, heaving shudder, the hospital shook around them. It was worse than an earthquake.

All the items on the shelves above toppled down, her arm the only thing to save her from a scalpel to the face. When the tremors stopped, she looked at the damage. There was a two inch long slice down the side of her arm. Thankfully it wasn't too deep and hadn't hit anything major, but it was bleeding like anything. She felt faint, but she had to fix it up. Taking a deep breath, she used her first aid skills she'd learnt at Torchwood. Quickly Rose patched herself up and ran off.

The Doctor was here. He had to be, she was certain of it.

She checked around the last few wards as fast as she could. In one she found a pretty young dark lady, just older than her, keeping control of the situation. The girl was handling things pretty well, keeping her head. Actually… she looked quite familiar. But, she couldn't see him in this ward either. There was a bed with its curtains drawn, but she doubted that the Doctor would be a patient, hiding behind curtains while the action was going on. So she left.

They were on the moon apparently. But she didn't stop to look. If she wanted to find the Doctor, she had to keep going. Because if there was one thing that man did not do, it was keep still.

.

It was minutes later that the huge aliens with rhino heads in space-armour marched through the door. After a _very_ brief talk with one man they began grabbing people and scanning then, then marking them with 'x'. It was like they were… cataloguing them.

Hidden behind a pot plant on the far side of the second floor, she was safe to observe them. They seemed to be recording the species. Humans were okay… which meant that if the Doctor was here, he was in danger… trouble at the very least! Knowing she had to help him, she left her spot and began looking for him again.

It was hard. She had covered nearly the entire hospital, being sure to stay on the already checked floors. The Doctor was smart, that's were he'd be. She wondered if he had found a felt pen and drawn an 'x' on his hand too. These creatures seemed fairly thick… maybe they would fall for it.

And to make matters worse, they seemed to be running out of air. It was starting to get harder to breath. And she still couldn't find him. For all she knew, he was probably just leaving the corridor as she entered it.

As her search became desperate, she dared to try other floors. Suddenly a large hand grabbed her from behind and spun her around. A blue light was shone in her face and she could only wait for the rhino to answer and let her go.

"Non-human," it stated.

"What?" she cried.

"Level 2 scan, confirm analysis Non-human. Species unknown."

"Wow…" she breathed. "Didn't expect that." Then, seeing the look on the rhino's face, she shrugged out of its grasp and fled. She jumped when they started firing lasers at her. They stopped shooting when she go too far and resorted to chasing. She ran through many corridors and up a few floors before she saw a cupboard and hid inside.

She listened as all the rhino guys marched past. She waited until she thought they were gone, only to stop when she heard more footfalls. A few minutes later she heard someone - non-rhino - run by and a few minutes after that she heard more of the rhinos. It wasn't very safe to go out, but she had to find him.

Panting heavily by now, from the lack of oxygen, she tried to start up her search again. But it was such an effort to even push her way from the cupboard that she could barely stand. She gripped the handle as she slumped heavily against the door. Only to slip and stumble and fall into the corner of a near by desk.

There was a sharp pain in her scull. The world swam before her as she watched the world tilt. She could barely see the wall she was facing, nor the floor right in front of her. The pain was slowly exploding, blossoming through her head. Until all she knew was darkness.

.

"-you hear me?" she heard as she came to. "My name's Martha Jones. I'm a medical student. You're going to be okay," the voice assured her. Hmm, Martha Jones… why did that name sound familiar? And where was she? In a hospital… on the moon.

She tried to sit up quickly when she remembered that, but winced as everything spun painfully before her.

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy," Martha told her. Rose recognised her as she pretty dark girl who had handled things when they first got on the moon. "You've hit your head pretty hard," she went on. "There's a bit of blood. Hold still, I'll just try and find the wound." As she searched, the woman began to frown. "Funny, I can't find one."

"Is it from my arm?" she asked.

"No," Martha replied. "That's still bandaged up. Look at me." She tilted Rose's chin up and checked her eyes. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Rose."

"Do you remember why you came to the hospital?"

"I was looking for the Doctor," she mumbled without thinking.

"Of course, why else would someone come to a hospital," Martha laughed. She smirked remembering the tall man in a pinstripe suit who had called himself nothing but 'the Doctor'. That had been some adventure.

"To see the Face of Boe," Rose said.

"To see what?" Martha laughed.

"Nothing, don't worry. Are we still on the moon?"

"No, we're back now. I think you might have a bit of a concussion."

"Oh… good," Rose said, slightly dazed. "That was fun, wasn't it? Being on the moon, alien life. It was beautiful. Bit of an adventure." Martha just smiled at her. "You know, if I were you, and I was given a chance to do this again, I would do it in a heartbeats," she giggled when she used one of the Doctor's 'I have two hearts' jokes. She didn't notice Martha's look of surprise and curiosity. "I miss this part of it. I'm just travelling now… always looking."

Blinking she looked up at the girls confused expression. And then it clicked. She knew where she'd hear that name before! "Oh! Martha Jones! Jack told me about you."

"Erm, I don't know anyone called Jack," Martha said.

"You don't know anyone called Jack _yet_," she corrected cheekily. Then her brain seemed to catch up with her mouth and she realised that she probably shouldn't have said that. "Oh, god. I should probably stop talking. I have to go. If we're back on Earth then he's gone. I have to keep looking… it's not like I can stick around anyway, the timelines don't match. Good luck, Martha Jones. Have fun. And remember, when he asks, say yes. He needs someone."

And then she was up and running through the corridor.

"Hey, wait!" Martha called after her, jumping up to get her back. "You're injured, I have to finish checking you over!" But when she rounded the corner, the girl was gone. Any other day, Martha might have thought she'd escaped from psychiatric… but after today, she wasn't quite so sure… Na, that girl was defiantly mental.

.

…Or at least, that's what she would believe for the next ten hours until she came face to face with a giant enigmatic head… And then what she had said all fell into place. Rose, as in the Doctor's Rose? It made her angry to think that she had ran off and left him so heart broken.

She couldn't bare to tell him. Not just because she knew how sad he would look if he mentioned her… but also because it was quite possible that she was falling in love with the Doctor.

.

Rose rested outside the hospital, on a patch of grass. She didn't know what it was, but she liked this spot. It felt familiar and safe. - How could she have known that it was exactly where the TARDIS had been parked only an hour ago? - She sighed as she watched people still scurrying around in a panic, and played with the edge of her bandage.

After a while she noticed that she'd pretty much pulled it off and growled in annoyance when she realised she'd have to get it redressed.

…But then she actually looked at the wound…

…What wound? It was gone. There was nothing there at all. The only thing to indicate that she had ever been hurt was the blood on the gauze and a thin pink line that was slowly fading away. What was happening to her?

She thought back to a couple of hours ago when the rhino guys had scanned her. Non-human they had said… What was she becoming?

**?...DW…?**

Rose looked back and fourth along the long metal corridors. She instantly disliked this place. Something was wrong… Other than the massive thrumming of the engines, everything was silent.

Seeing a porthole, she rose up on tiptoe to look out. Below her was a massive sea of clouds. It was just white and blue as far as the eye could see. And she couldn't tell what, but something was very wrong.

She felt sick.

"Well, what's this?" a voice drawled behind her. She dropped to her feet and spun around to face the man. He looked to be in his 30's and had short dark hair. His eyes were so dark brown that they were almost black. "How did you get on board?"

As he got closer he saw her face and paused the briefest moment before he grinned and came right up to her.

"Rose Tyler, it really is a pleasure to see you here. I've seen many pictures of you in the TARDIS. I can't believe I never put it together with my memories. Perhaps it was this." He reached up and lightly touched beside her eye. "The loss and pain in your eyes. You and the Doctor were so happy in the photos… look at you now."

"Who are you?" Rose asked cautiously.

"You don't recognise me?" he feigned hurt. "Well, I guess that's understandable. I have changed a lot since you last saw me. Aw, you were so adorable, all confused and lost. And the Doctor was just _so_ fascinated by you. I think you started an obsession there. Mind you… he doesn't seem to remember you being there. It's a shame. I wonder what he would think if he knew his little human pet had been to Gallifrey."

Rose sucked in a breath as three things fell into place. This was the Doctor's friend, Koschei, who was also known as the Master. The Master was the psychopathic Time Lord who had killed about half of the world and tortured Jack and the Doctor for an entire year. He had died when that year was over.

She was in the year that never happened.

"I'm on the Valiant," she said quietly, backing against the wall.

"Yes, you are," he gave a smarmy grin. "Do you like the name, _Valiant_ Child? He was quite terrified of that prediction, let me tell you."

"How do you know that?" she snapped. She knew that Time Lords were telepathic… She was scared the Master might have done something to force the information out of him.

"Oh, I riffled through some of his things before I turned the TARDIS into a paradox machine. Tell me, when and how did he teach you Gallifreyan?"

"He didn't."

"And yet we've been speaking the near dead language since I said your name."

"I can't be. It doesn't make any sense!"

"And running into thin air does?" he sneered. "You barely looked to have aged, a little undernourished, but you can't be more than a year older… How do you do it?"

"I don't know," she glared at him.

"Ah… you need the Doctor to tell you, don't you? You don't know what you are. Well, well, well, the girl who took in the Time Vortex, killed an army of Daleks singlehanded, made a man immortal, and made a Time Lord regenerate and fall in love with her… so much control… and she can't even control herself."

Rose only glared at him silently. She'd been told how temperamental and vindictive he was. If she said the wrong thing, he may do something to her. And if he somehow stopped her from walking, she was screwed.

"Well, you need to see a Doctor, let's take you to see the Doctor."

"No!" Rose couldn't help herself. "I can't! Not yet!" She froze at her outburst.

"No?" the Master raised his eyebrows in surprise. "But he _so_ wants to see you. He misses you so much. Screams your name out whenever he finally manages to catch some sleep. It's quite pathetic really. Now come on, we shouldn't keep him waiting." He grabbed her arm and pulled her.

"No! He doesn't know I'm here, and he never will!" she strained against him. "I won't let you use me against him any more. You've already devastated him, what more so you want!"

"Oh, Rose Tyler," the Master grinned, pulling her struggling form flush against him. "I want to destroy him completely. Slowly and painfully. And what better way to do it than with the one thing he thought was safe. The one he loves the most." She tried to struggle more, but the Master was stronger than he looked.

So he managed to drag her to the main deck. And despite how much she tried to move her legs, she wasn't going anywhere but where he wanted her to.

With a rough push she found herself at the foot of a tent. Looking up she saw the old, withered and utterly shocked face of the Doctor. He was chained to the nearby rail by a collar, like a dog.

She couldn't find her voice to say anything… neither of them could.

In the next second, though, she was dragged to her feet and there was a sting in her cheek as the Master struck her.

"That, Miss Tyler, was for not doing as you were told and putting up such a fuss," the Master told her. He grinned as she held her hand to her cheek, giving him a loathing glare.

"If you think that I would willingly do _anything_ for you, you _really_ haven't done your homework," she said defiantly.

"Ooh, I like this one, Doctor," the Master grinned cruelly. "I can see why you kept her… Although, you really do need to learn how to train your pets. Let's see how long it takes how long it takes to break her."

She managed to duck his first punch, but didn't realise it was a double attack. She tried to muffle her cry as his foot connected with her shin and she collapsed to the floor. Once she was down, he took full advantage. He aimed kicks and punches wherever he could. She could feel her skin split and even a bone or two crack. She attempted to fight back, but it only made him hit harder.

The Doctor was going frantic. He was nearly chocking himself on the collar as he strained to reach her, shouting at the Master. He begged, pleaded and even _threatened_ him to stop. But the evil Time Lord didn't.

Rose knew she had to get out of there. She rolled onto her back, wincing as she put pressure on a broken rib, and kicked him away. She tried her hardest not to cry out as she moved quickly. Every muscle and bone groaned in protest, especially the leg he had kicked. She was almost to the door when the Master caught her by the hair and pulled her back to the ground. He loomed over her, and placed his foot right where he'd kicked her shin and pressed down, making her wince.

"Running already, Tyler? And here I was thinking you were brave and strong," he sneered.

"And here I was thinking you were smart, Koschei," she ground out. "You can't break me like this."

"Alright, then," he shrugged, "I'll settle for breaking your body." And with that, he jumped down. There was a sickening crack and Rose couldn't hold back a scream as her leg snapped in two.

He stood back, grinning sadistically, allowing her to curl up a little as she held her broken leg in pain. But she used this chance. Some of the places she had ended up weren't always friendly and she had to look after herself. She thought it was a bit overdramatic sleeping with a knife, but she wasn't defenceless. Now, with time to do so, she reached into her pocket and pulled the large pin from the lining, lunged, and stuck it in the Master's leg. He howled in pain, reaching down to pull the pin from his calf and clutch at the wound.

It took all of Rose's strength to stand on her injured leg and continue to hobble to the door. She screamed with every step. This made the Master pause in amusement. She was doing his job for him!

Once she was through the door, though, he grew tired of it and decided to follow. With a malicious grin, he reached out to grab her… only to close his hand around thin air. She was gone. Just like last time.

"Rose?" he heard the Doctor's worried cry float down the hall. He was clearly terrified by the silence.

What was he going to do? He couldn't say she was dead, he wouldn't believe it until he saw the body. And he couldn't let him hope that his precious human was out there, able to find him. It was already bad enough with Martha on the loose.

Letting him have any shred of hope just wouldn't do. Especially concerning Rose Tyler.

He listened to the Doctor's frantic, worried shouts grow louder and more desperate as he straightened himself up. When he looked as he had before attacking the girl, he forced away the limp and walked back into the main room as if the last few minutes had never happened.

"And what are you shouting about?" he snickered.

"Where is she? What have you done with her?" the Doctor fumed.

"Who? Miss Jones?" he asked innocently. "How should I know? She's still on the run. But not for much longer. We're closing in. There's a rumour she's heading for Japan."

"Not Martha," he snapped angrily. "Rose! What have you done with Rose? She was here just a moment ago. _What have you done to her_?"

Suddenly the Master began to laugh. "Oh, this is brilliant! You saw Rose Tyler? Oh, poor, dear Doctor. She's not here. She was _never_ here. She's still in a parallel universe where you will never ever see her again."

"You're lying," he hissed.

"Doctor," the Master said, kneeling down to his eye lever. "I do believe you're finally going insane… Isn't it fun?"

**?...DW…?**

Rose let out another agonised cry as she collapsed. She let out a chocked sob of relief, knowing she was out of there.

"Rose!" a slightly familiar voice cried in horror. She looked up to see the blurry form of Martha Jones running over to her. "Oh my god, what happened? Your leg's broken. Please tell me you didn't walk on that!"

"I had to get out of there," she whimpered as Martha set her leg.

"Martha, What's-? Rose! Oh my god, babe, what happened?" Rose looked up in confusion as her oldest friend joined her side.

"Mickey? What are you doing here?"

"What do you-?"

"Mickey, she's not pregnant," Martha said in what she thought was a hushed voice. "Rose, what time are you from?"

"How should I know, I'm a time traveller! I can't bloody well keep still long enough to find out."

"Right, so pre-Doctor days. Rose, what happened?"

"Umm… I jumped onto that ship… the Valiant." She saw Martha's look of horror. "And he found me and he wanted to use me to hurt the Doctor. So…"

"Valiant, babe, isn't that the ship with the psychopathic Time Lord you told me about?" Mickey asked Martha, who nodded numbly before getting back to Rose's injuries.

"Okay," Martha said shakily. "It's a pretty bad break. And you made it worse by walking on it. So if you don't move and keep it right for a few hours, you should be fine. The bruises are already starting to fade?"

"A few hours? Crap, am I doing that fast healing thing like my arm?"

"And we must be before she knows everything she can do," Mickey commented.

"What are you doing in this universe, anyway?" she asked.

"You bought me back here. My Nan died. There was nothing really left for me there, so I came back. Worked for Jack at Torchwood for a little while - that was chaos. Then I left them, Martha left UNIT and we went vigilante. Oh, and you're talking to Mrs Martha Smith by the way." Martha gave him a warning nudge, a slightly embarrassed look on her face.

"Oh my god, really? Congratulations!" she cried and made to hug one of them, but Martha kept her still.

"Oi, no moving," she scolded. "How are you meant to run about the universe with a bent leg?"

"Great," Rose huffed in annoyance and Mickey laughed.

"You always used to complain about never being able to stay still. But you _enjoy_ moving, staying still would drive you mad!"

"It frustrates me to no end," she admitted. "But the only reason I don't like moving is because I could disappear at any second."

"Well, for now you can rest, heal, have a cup of tea and catch up," Martha grinned. Rose noted that the way Martha was speaking to her was like an old friend.

"Martha, timelines. You can't really tell me anything."

"Ah, good point."

"My life is so weird," Rose sighed.

"And it only gets weirder," Mickey grinned.

"Thank you, that's very reassuring," she said sarcastically.

"Hey!" Martha suddenly said excitedly. "You know, every time we ask, the Doctor wouldn't let you tell us… What were his past incarnations like?"

Rose grinned evilly. "Well…" she began. "You should have seen his sixth…"

.

.

.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I know, I'm sorry! But you have to admit, it WAS a good chapter. (Me and my modesty =D).<strong>_

_**Right, I know some things aren't exactly explained clearly. In the first scene, all that running when she was in the cupboard, one or two lots were Judoon, one was the Doctor, followed by another of Judoon. And the Doctor didn't see her when he went past because A) he was carrying Martha. B) he was running out of oxygen, a bit to preoccupied. And C) she was facing a wall when she fell unconscious.**_

_**Sorry for the wumpage with the Master. But I just had to chuck him in there somewhere. My original plan was that she would meet him and disappear before she got to the main room. But then I wanted to play around with her knew healing talent and thought it would be interesting if maybe it was the Master who gave him the idea that she was just a hallucination, considering the conversation he had with Rose just before he regenerated. That could easily be passed off as a dream to him in that state.**_

_**And, being the right Martha / Mickey shipper I am, I just had to chuck them in too. =D**_

_**Hope you liked it. More on the way soon… Seriously, I only have to write one and two halfs and I'm done.**_


	10. In Lonely Company

**In Lonely Company**

.

.

"Fuck!" Rose swore as she appeared. Warm sunlight filtered in through the window. She spun away from it, afraid someone would see her… in nothing but her underwear.

As she whipped around, she came face to face with a young woman. She wore mostly red and looked as if she were from the 1920's.

"Blimey! How the hell did you do that?" she cried in a London accent. Then she gave a small cough, looking like she'd done something wrong.

"Erm…" Rose stuttered, trying to cover herself.

"What happened to your clothes?" she asked. Her voice was now much more refined and sophisticated, almost an entirely different accent. Was she putting it on?

"I was getting changed when I jumped," Rose told her sheepishly. She knew the woman would have no idea what she was talking about.

"Here," the woman said, she pulled some clothes from her travel bag and Rose gratefully slipped into the flapper dress. "Where did you get that gorgeous lingerie? It's so tiny!"

"Give it another eighty years."

"Right…" she said, clearly starting to think that Rose had lost it. "So, are you some sort of magician? Could you teach me that? I'm _very_ good at slight of hand."

"Sorry, it can't exactly be taught. And I don't even know how to control it myself… How do I look?"

"Well, you're a bit large chest-ed for the dress, and a little underdone, but you'll do. I'm sure Lady Eddison wouldn't mind another guest, even with the murders."

"Murders?"

"Mmm, Professor Peach was killed with a lead pipe in the library. Can you believe it?"

"Erm… Well, it sounds like a game of Cludo…" But the girl was talking away and didn't really hear her.

"It's a good thing we've got Agatha Christie with us," the woman said.

"Hang on," Rose said, completely paying attention now. "Agatha Christie, murders… He _has_ to be here. This has the Doctor written all over it!"

"You mean the tall, skinny bloke with the crazy hair?"

"Yes! That's him!"

"Oh my god, is he the murderer?"

"What? No! He just… really likes this sort of thing. Meeting famous people and solving mysteries. Look, I really have to go find him. Thanks for the dress."

"No problem, Darling. See you at dinner."

.

Okay… she was lost. This house was friggen _huge_, and she couldn't even find her way down to the next floor. As she made her way down another practically identical hall, a voice stopped her.

"Hey, you!" Her voice was brash and vaguely familiar… and not just because it reminded her of her mother. She spun to face the redhead. "You!" she cried in surprise when she saw her face.

"Donna!" Rose grinned. If Donna was there, then Martha was gone. If Martha was gone, then the timelines would be right for her to join into.

"But… but you're the woman who told me…"

"Yup," Rose said, popping the 'p' in a way that seemed _far_ too familiar… only she could no longer remember where from. She stayed still while Dona looked her up and down.

"You look like him," she told her. Rose blinked. "Your eyes… you look so sad, like you've lost so much… You're her, aren't you? You're Rose?"

Rose snapped her head up at that. "He talks about me?" she said quietly, completely surprised.

Donna looked her up and down again, trying to judge if she could take it. "I think he tries not to," she said honestly. "He really cares for you. Loves you even. It's hard for him to talk about you, but it's even harder for him to forget you. I met him right after he lost you… I ah," she let out a small sad laugh. "I was accusing him of kidnapping me. And when I saw this woman's top I thought 'oh my god, there have been others'… God, the look on his face…"

Rose swallowed hard. "Is he okay?" she whispered.

"Hard to tell," Donna shrugged nonchalantly. "I think he's good as long as he's distracted, which, thankfully, is most of the time."

"Good," Rose nodded.

"Are you really back? He needs you."

"Depends on if I can make it back to the TARDIS before I disappear."

"Disappear? What do you mean 'disappear'? And what are we waiting for? Let's get you back there!"

"How far is it?"

"Just out in the garden."

"Right, hopefully I can make it," she said. "Donna, could you do me a favour?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I can't ask you to carry me, so… If I _do_ disappear before we make it, please don't tell him you saw me."

"But-"

"If you tell him I was here, then he will try and find me," she explained. "Knowing him, he probably won't stop till he does. But it's hard enough to find him when I can't stay still. I can't quite reach him… So just… tell him I've found a way back and I'll see him soon."

"Okay," Donna nodded quietly. "But fingers crossed you don't disappear. It would make is world to have you back. He's been through a lot recently. He lost someone he really cared for, caused the destruction of Pompeii. I know there are some other things, but he won't tell me."

"No, he's like that. The universe throws him hell and he just puts on that happy mask and continues to try and make everything else better. If he tells you he's alright, give him a hug, will you? I swear, 'alright' is Time Lord code for really not alright!"

"Well, hopefully you can do that now."

"Yeah," Rose smiled. "Hopefully I c-"

They had slowly begun walking down the stairs at this point. And one moment Rose was talking to Donna, the next she was nowhere to be seen. Donna looked around, startled. Okay, she'd said it would happen, but it was still a shock.

.

At first when she saw the Doctor, Donna felt really guilty, not being able to tell him. But then so many things happened, and they kept happening. And then She'd forget, and something would make her remember, but it wasn't the right time… She never did tell him that Rose was coming.

**?...DW…?**

Rose gasped as the cold hit her. This was nothing like when she had jumped onto the Titanic. For one, all she was wearing was a flapper dress. For another… she seemed to be on an ice planet.

She froze even more - this time in fear - when she saw that she was standing in the center of a semi circle of Ood. Around her feet was a square imprint in the snow… it was roughly the size of the TARDIS… The doctor had been here.

She felt that same tingling, comforting home-like feeling. She realised then that the spot she had sat on outside the Royal Hope Hospital a month ago must have been here he had parked.

"Rose Tyler," the Ood standing in front of the others spoke. Rose took a step back. Last time with the Ood had freaked her out… what if it was happening again. "Do not be alarmed," it told her. "We are not like the Ood you see in your mind. We are free."

"The Doctor was here," she said. The Ood knew that it was meant as a question.

"He freed us from slavery and allowed us to sing," he blinked, his head tilted. "You will help end his song."

"I'm sorry, what?" She was confused, and 'ending his song' did not sound like a good thing.

"For two hundred years we sung sad songs. The Doctor's heart sings out a sad song too. You will help his song end soon."

"Soon?" Rose asked hopefully. She futilely attempted to warm herself.

"Yes," it answered. "You will not leave us a while. Please, come with us. You need rest and nourishment. We will care for you."

"You don't have to," Rose's teeth chattered. Considering they had just been freed from slavery, she found their generosity overwhelming.

"We insist. It is an honour to help Rose Tyler."

"Okay, thank you," she said softly, shivers starting to wrack her body. One of the Ood in the semi circle stepped forward with a fur coat. It have it too the Ood in the front, who draped it around her.

"I am Ood Sigma. Please, come." He held his gloved hand out to her.

And Rose took it.

**?...DW…?**

After her three week stay with the Ood, Rose was feeling much better. She had also learnt quite a lot. She now also knew that she would not be able to get back to the TARDIS until the right time. Till the moment he needed her the most.

And she knew something that horrified her. The new Ood Elders had shown her visions of the future… The Darkness. The never ending darkness… Something was coming.

She had to tell him.

.

Rose looked around her new surroundings. She was in an antique looking room / office. Out the window she could see school boys marching by.

She looked up when the door opened to see the Doctor. But he looked different. His hair was flat and combed, and he was wearing strange, slightly Victorian clothing.

When he saw her he froze in shock, his mouth slack and the books he was holding fell to the floor. He stood there for much longer than she would have liked, a look of almost fear in his eyes.

"I'm going mad," he said simply. "_Gone_ mad. I've gone mad. F-first the dreams, now…" He looked her up and down with wide eyes.

"Doctor?" she said in concern.

"I'm not the Doctor," she nearly snapped. "He's a dream, just like you. Just figments of my imagination… my deluded mind. Of course I'm going insane. Magic blue boxes, only a mad man could think of something that insane."

"What do you mean 'just a dream'," she said in annoyance.

"Just that. You're the woman from my dreams… and the woman _of_ his, ironically enough."

"So I'm told," Rose smiled dryly through the utter confusion. Why did he only remember who he was through dreams? Maybe something bad had happened to him, or he was hiding… But if he was hiding, then surely he would drop character for her - even if it wasn't intentional.

"Dear Lord," he muttered. "I really am insane. I'm talking out loud to a hallucination of my mad dreams!" It was then that she saw the wet trial down his cheek.

"You're crying…" she murmured. He reached up and touched the tears in surprise.

"Why do dreams of you make me so sad?" he asked.

"Because you lost me."

"I know," his voice cracked. "But why does it make _me_ sad? Your Doctor I can understand, you and his magic box were all he had and were the most important thing in the universe to him. But I'm not the Doctor, I'm John Smith! I'm human. I'm a school teacher, for goodness sakes!"

"Well then, John Smith, maybe you're more special than you think you are."

Slowly she started to walk towards him, cautious not to spook him too much. Just as she was about to reach out and touch him, the door clicked, she turned to look… and was gone.

Martha walked in to see John Smith staring at empty air in fear.

"Mr Smith, are you alright, Sir?" she asked in concern. He snapped his head up to her in such a Doctor like way it startled her. A fake grin was plastered on his face.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," he said. "I'm alright… I'm always alright."

**?...DW…?**

"What have you done!" Rose heard the Doctor's voice demanded from the other room.

She crept through the dingy, creepy room and peered through a dirty sheet that hung like a separation curtain to see what was happening. The Doctor was knelt over an unconscious Martha. A witch like woman stood over them. Shit, wrong time _again_.

"Only sleeping, alas," the woman said looking at her finger as if there were something wrong or interesting about it. "Curious, the name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time. And as for you, Sir Doctor!" She suddenly pointed at him, and paused. "Fascinating… there is no name. Why would a man hide his title in such despair?" The Doctor just glared at her. "Oh, but look," she smiled evilly. "There's still one word with the power that aches."

"The naming won't work on me," he told her.

"Ah," she crowed. "But your heart grows cold, the North wind blows, it carries down the distant… Rose."

"Oh, big mistake!" the Doctor cried, suddenly jumping to his feet and running so he was not far from the woman, looming over her. This was how he'd gotten the name 'the Oncoming storm'. "Because that name keeps me fighting!"

Rose smiled. That was better than last time when he practically told her he'd given up… Then again, Donna had been with him then. So it was in his future. But he'd seen her, talked to her. Good, at least Donna had told him she was coming.

"The Carrionites vanished! Where did you go?" the Doctor's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"The Eternals found the right word to banish us into deep darkness," Lilith replied, a smile still on her face.

"And how did you escape?"

"New words. New glittering words from a mind like no other."

"Shakespeare."

"His son perished. The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance."

"How many of you?" he asked.

"Just the three," she said. "But the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged as pestilence. And from this world we will lead the universe back to the old ways of blood and magic." He walked threateningly up to her so they were standing face to face.

"Hmm, busy schedule," he said in his usual unfazed manor. "But first, you've got to get past me."

"Oh, that should be a pleasure considering my enemy has such a handsome shape," she said seductively running her fingers along his face and caressing his hair.

"Now, that's one form of magic that's defiantly not going to work on me," he nearly laughed.

"Oh, we'll see," she said. Then she yanked a lock of his hair, ripping it out. Quickly she backed away, holding it before her.

The Doctor's hand flew to his head and he rubbed the sore spot. "What did you do?" he cried.

"Souvenir."

"Well, give it back!" He tried to reach for her, but she spread her arms and she flew backwards out the window that had just opened itself. She floated in front of the window, just out of his reach. "Well, that's just cheating," he said.

"Behold, Doctor," she said. "Men to Carrionites are nothing but puppets." She pulled a doll from her pocket and began wrapping his hair around it.

"Now, you might call that magic," the Doctor said, worry in his voice. "But I'd call that a DNA replication module."

"What use is your science now?" the witch scoffed. She stabbed the doll through the heart.

And the Doctor fell to the ground.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted in alarm. She rushed over to him, not caring whether or not the witch had seen her as she flew away. "Doctor? Doctor, stay with me!" She pressed her ear against his chest. Bum - bum - bum… the beat of a heart sounded in her ear. _A_ heart. "One heart… _one_ heart. Oh, you brilliant, _brilliant_ man!" she cried in delight.

Okay, she may know first aid, but she wasn't very good at it, and the Doctor had different physiology to a human. She didn't want to hurt him. Looking over at the unconscious medical student, Rose knew she (and the Doctor) need her help.

She scrambled over and started to shake the woman. "Martha? Martha! Wake up. Come on, he needs your help!"

As Martha began to stir, Rose jumped up to run back over to the Doctor.

Only to find herself in Mickey's house back in the parallel universe.

.

.

.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hello. I know, this one was fast, but as I told you on my facebook page, I've already got most of this story written. Seriously! Just a little bit more on the next chapter. Chapter after that is done. After that there's just a chapter and a half and it's done!<strong>_

_**I was thinking about other episodes with Donna in them to include (it really didn't seem like there was enough) and I thought of Planet of the Ood. But them that made me think of the whole 'you're going to die / song end' thing and I wanted to fix that. So, why not let it be what he did for them, stopped their sad songs and let them have a new one.**_

_**And yeah, half of these ideas have been swimming around in my head since I started writing this story, like the last two with John Smith and Lilith. In my original idea, John kept it together long enough to have a proper conversation with Rose… but, Nah!**_

_**Has anyone noticed that if you put a line through the bump in the 'h' like a mini capital 'A' it looks like both John and Joan at the same time?**_


	11. Son and Daughters

**_I'm working on a cover picture for this right now. It looks pretty cool right now. I've got half of the background done. Then I just need to do Rose and I can post it._**

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><p>.<p>

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**Son and Daughters**

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It was dark and dingy where she arrived. She seemed to be in some sort of… lower area of a spaceship? A data core burnt bright red, an alarm going off. And there, just off to the side, a woman in a spacesuit was handcuffing the Doctor to a pillar.

"What the hell are you doing?" she cried aghast.

The woman jumped. "Mum!" she cried in surprise as she turned. With horror, when Rose saw her face, she realised that it was an older version of the girl she had seen in the picture. River. "What are you doing here? You know you can't be here… Oh god, this is before you settle, isn't it?"

"What are you doing?" she asked again, very confused. "I know he can be annoying, but tying him up…"

"He was going to kill himself," River replied.

"What?"

"This computer is actually the mind of a child. This library was built for her, to keep her alive. But it has 4022 people waiting to be teleported out of its hard drive. But she doesn't have the power. Dad was going to hook himself up to the computer and give her some of _his_ memory space. But it would kill him instantly," she explained. As she talked she was going around, picking up bits of cables and putting things together. Rose didn't understand what she was doing, but it was something that she could see the Doctor doing, were he awake.

"So you just knocked him out and handcuffed him to a post?"

"I couldn't let him do it," River told her mother. "If he dies now, then you will never get back to him and I won't ever be born anyway. If I don't do this, then I cause one huge big paradox!"

"Do what? River, no!" she cried out in horror when she realised what her daughter was going to do. "You can't!" She rushed forward and tried to grab River's arm as she sat down in a chair, but she shrugged her off.

"I have to."

"River Tyler, you may not even be born yet in my timeline, but I am still your mother. You can't do this!"

"You don't have a choice!" River said forcefully, grabbing her arm. Then her face softened. "It's weird hearing you use that stern tone with me… especially now. Although, you're missing the middle name. And it's River Song now, I got married… once you and Dad relented… Oh! Oh, you two are so _stupid_! Trying to change my name would never have changed events! Oh, you've known all along what would happen. So many things make sense! …And you had to go through my whole life knowing I was going to die and you couldn't stop it…"

"Want to bet!" Rose cried fiercely, a tear running down her cheek.

"I love you, Mum," River whispered.

Suddenly Rose felt the familiar heavy feeling seep through her body and she became light headed… But she wasn't moving. She had been frozen still for the last two minutes. Looking at River she saw fear and… an apology in her eyes. Rose realised that somehow River had done this to her. River was _making_ her jump. Making her leave so she couldn't stop her.

"No!" she shrieked… But it was too late.

**?...DW…?**

The Doctor fingered the TARDIS blue cover of the book. River Song's diary. He was tempted to look in it… _so_ tempted to look in it. It had his future in here. But… one look wouldn't hurt right?

Both he and Donna had decided that it wasn't worth it 'reading ahead', but she had known his name. Once he could have imagined telling it to one person… now there was no one. If he could just find out who she was to him.

He could just try the first page. He doubted the first page would hold all too much, and if it even had one mention of his name then he would shut it. Yeah, he could get away with that. He just wanted to know who she was.

Cautiously, he put the now burnt out modified sonic-screwdriver to the side and picked up the book. Carefully he lifted the cover to reveal the first page. He was almost surprised to be met by the messy writing of a child in a blue pencil.

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'Dear TARDIS… (Most peopol say Dear Diary but why would I tork to a book when I have a sentent ship?)

My name is River Tyler. I am 8 years old. Mummy gave me this diary the day my baby sister was born. Aria is really cute.

Jack is confust about why Mummy's tummy is flat now. Jack is 5. He will get smarter in a few years.

We are all very happy that the baby is here. But now Mummy is really tired. So Daddy took me out to get a preasent for her. I got her a rose. He thougt that was funny and clyshay. I don't know what clyshay means yet but it is beacuse her name is Rose-'

.

The Doctor slammed the book shut. He couldn't read any more. It wasn't possible. It just wasn't possible. There was no way that this could ever be. River Song could not be the daughter of Rose Tyler.

It was clear, even from the child's writing that she had grown up on the TARDIS. But that was impossible. There was no way that he could get back to Rose. She was trapped in the other universe. He had tried many, many times to get her back. All had failed.

But not only that, but if she ever did come back… how could he stand to sit back and watch her raise a family on his TARDIS. How could he stand to watch her with her children and her husband, knowing that it wasn't him?

Oh, he wished it was. Secretly he wanted that life so bad. But if it was even possible for Rose to get back, he knew that he could never have a family with her. She was human, and that caused so many complications that it broke his hearts just thinking of them.

Yes, she would whither and die, but the thing that confirmed that he would never truly have his Rose, was the fact that River even existed at all. Because Humans and Time Lords may look alike, but they were different species. They didn't have enough DNA and gene codes similar. It was impossible for them to conceive a child together.

Rose's three children could not be his. Could he really stand to take her in the TARDIS and watch her be with another man? Did he love her that much that he would throw away his happiness and his chance to be with her, just so that he could keep her by his side?

He thought of what River had said. 'Picnic at Asgard. Have we done Asgard yet?' She had said 'we'… but who exactly was 'we'?

But then again, for any of this to be true, Rose would have to be here, in this universe. And she wasn't.

**?...DW…?**

A chocked sob escaped her lips as she slumped against the wall. She didn't know where she was, and she didn't really care.

How could she have done that? How could she just throw her life away like that when she had her family everything in the world to live for? How could she let herself die for him when she knew neither of them wanted her to? Knowing that they would know her fate for her whole life and have to live with the pain of watching her grow up, wondering which day would be her last. Wondering what day she would be going to the library.

Couldn't she have thought of another option?

Tears streamed down her face as she sunk to the floor. It was wrong. It was just so, so wrong. No parent should ever have to bury their child. The Doctor was 900 and something, Rose would be much older by that time. How old had River been?

But she didn't quite understand it. That was the first time she had ever met River. The idea of her having kids one day still seemed weird and not quite real, like it was happening to someone else, not her. So why was she grieving like she had just lost the child she had spent years raising and loving?

.

She felt arms wrap around her and she was cradled against someone's chest. She could faintly feel two hearts beating against her.

"Shh, shh," a voice soothed, but it wasn't a familiar voice. "I know," he told her soothingly, but his voice cracked a little. "You couldn't have stopped her. I tried, Dad tired. We all tried. But… she - she's stubborn. She's a Tyler, what did you expect…"

He gently rocked her until her sobs subsided and he helped her to her feet. When she finally looked at him she was met with startlingly bright blue eyes set in a handsome face. He looked to be somewhere in his twenties, but she knew better than that. She was face to face with Jack Tyler.

"Now," he said, brushing away her tears. "I know how hard it is. And it's still going to be pretty hard… But you're almost there. Don't give up. You've got to go, just keep walking."

"But…" she trembled. "What if I can't find him?"

"Mum, you are the strongest woman I've ever met. Now, I'm pretty sure that I'm proof that things will work out alright in the end." This caused Rose to laugh a little, but it was pretty pathetic.

"I'm always so close. Why can't I just reach him?"

"Because there will be a day when he's worse than ever. He's given up hope. Hope in most of humanity, hope in travelling, hope of ever seeing you again. He's convinced that he's insane and the cause of all these horrible things that happen, not the cure. You can't prevent him having that moment, but you will be the one to pick him up and give him hope again. He'll need you then."

"And how much longer till then?"

"I don't know, I didn't get the travelling gene, did I?" he grinned. "Don't worry, it's not long now…"

"But-"

"Mum," he said sternly. "Start walking."

The tiniest of smiles tugged at her lips, and giving her son a hug and a thank you, she turned and started walking, until she walked into somewhere new.

**?...DW…?**

"Mum!" the voice called out to her. "I'm just going to pop back to 2000 to get some decent Creameggs… you know, before they ruined the center and cost a fortune. Do you want anything that's been discontinued. I can-"

The girl froze as she walked around the corner. Even in the shade of the trees, her aqua blue dress seemed bright. It made her sea blue eyes stand out even more. She was in the process or ringing water from her very long hair, the exact shade as the Doctor's. she looked to be about eighteen here, not the ten year old Rose had seen in the picture.

The girl looked her up and down a moment before she figured out what was bothering her.

"Oh…" she drew the word out. Then she sighed in frustration. "Why did you never tell me this was going to happen? Then again… it occurred to me that as I'm saying this, I'm making you not tell me by saying that you aren't going to tell me… I _love_ how time works!" she grinned.

"Uh… um, you can fly the TARDIS?"

"Are you kidding me?" the girl cried in amusement. "After that accident when I was four, Dad's been avoiding teaching me! Annoying really, I'm old enough now, and I do know how to fly her. I'm probably better than him!" Rose snorted in amusement.

"So… so you can jump, then… like me?"

"Course I can! Only seems to be in the female gene… that could have something to so with the fact that TARDISes were only female. But River can to it too… She's a little useless, though - don't tell her I said that - but she can't go anywhere she wants to. I mean, you said that you can nearly control where you end up, but not _when_ you go. She's the opposite. But I've got it all down."

"Lucky you," Rose said in bewilderment. It wasn't often she came across someone who said that much in one breath.

"Yup, though, I do feel sorry for Jack, he can't jump at all. But he's plenty smart to make up for it. Almost as good as I am. Jenny can jump a little too, but she's got more of Dad's DNA than yours."

"Who's Jenny?" she asked in surprise. She thought she only had three children.

The girls eyes widened when she realised she'd said too much. "Ah, she's-"

"Aria," a familiar voice called. "Lunch is ready," he told her.

"Bye," Aria said sheepishly, before walking past the lean figure of the Doctor. He leant against a near by tree, looking rather amused.

"She's got quite the gob on her, that one," he said.

"Ah, so she's like her dad," Rose teased.

"Well…" he mused, pushing away from the tree. "Yeah, she is really. Quite a bit like you, but very much like me. That's what you always say."

Rose grinned. "This place is beautiful. Where are we?"

"Asgard. Family picnic…" Suddenly his expression darkened.

"What's wrong?"

"Just something River said once."

"At the library?"

He nodded solemnly. "She wanted to match diaries and asked if we'd done the picnic at Asgard… And I didn't even have a clue who she was... Odd thing about her jumping, half the time it seems like she's going backwards. Honestly, that girl makes me wish we'd never taught her the word 'spoilers'."

Rose giggled, then looked at him curiously. "So, how long until I finally find you?"

"Oh, really shouldn't tell you… but, it's weeks at max."

Suddenly Rose grinned and jumped towards him and pressed her lips to his. The Doctor blinked in surprise.

"Oi, careful, missy," he teased. "I'm a married man!"

"Oh, shut up!" she laughed.

"But it's not fair! You get an early one. What about poor past me? He-"

She kissed him again, stopping him from talking. "Payback," she said. "For the kisses you got that I don't remember, or wasn't in control of my body." She gave him one of her teeth in tongue grins.

"Damn," he muttered. "She's already figured it out."

"What, how to shut you up? I've had that in mind for a long while, just never tried it till now."

The Doctor laughed. "Alright, you. You should probably get going. You've got a dashingly handsome Time Lord to find. And I've got a delicious looking picnic waiting… if Jack hasn't eaten it all."

Rose cracked up. "Alright, then, see you in a few weeks."

The Doctor gave her one of his brilliant grins and a hug before he left in the same direction as Aria.

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It took a while for her to jump again, but she didn't mind. She spent the rest of the day exploring the beautiful nature reserve. And, for the first time in a very long time, when Rose Tyler left Asguard, she was completely happy.

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><p><em><strong>It's a happy ending for the chapter! Yay! I really don't do enough of those.<strong>_

_**I originally wasn't going to have Jack in this story at all (other than being mentioned). It was just going to be River. But then I really like my OC Aria (sometimes called Gallifreya. She's either 'Gallifreya Aria Tyler' or 'Aria Gallifreya Tyler') so I wanted to add her in. I figured the best way to shut her up was by getting someone in to stop her. So I thought, why not the Doctor, have a nice scene between her and future Doctor. Bit of a reverse as to what's been happening with her and past Doctor.**_

_**Then I really wanted to show her reaction to River's death. My first idea was having the Doctor comfort her, but that didn't seem right. So, future Rose sent Jack to go comfort her.**_

_**I was always going to have the last scene in a park, it was only as I was writing it that I thought to make it Asgard.**_

_**The diary page from River, I read out to my 8 year old cousin, Yana. So that's how she spelt everything. I have it looking cool on my computer. It's blue and the font is a really messy kid like one.**_

…_**And I only just now realised it's the kids in order of birth!**_


	12. First Daughter

_**Hi! I've actually had this chapter written for MONTHS now. I've just been editing it as the story changed. This is the first and only chapter that I have based solely on an episode.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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**First Daughter**

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Rose looked around at her new surrounding. She was in some sort of underground tunnel. It looked old and abandoned. All sorts of broken junk lay around, half ruined. Curiously she wondered around. She stopped when she came across some sort of machine. There was a mechanical pod with a hole in it, from that stemmed a few thick blue tubes and wires that attached to some sort of large, covered cage or small room.

She couldn't help it really, she was curious by nature, and it had worsened over her years with the Doctor. Her head tilted to the side in interest, she traced her hand over the small pod… Well, it wasn't that small, it could suck your arm in that thing, but it was small compared to its adjoined machine.

She continued to examine it by touch for a few moments before finally daring to search the inside. She felt the walls of it, slowly sinking her arm in further. Suddenly there was jerk on her arm as something tried to pull her in. The top of the pod started to close in around her arm and she quickly retracted it. There was a cold pain as something slashed at the back of her hand.

She pulled it out to see a fairly shallow cut along her hand. It was a DNA extractor of some sort, she realised. It was trying to take a sample of her tissue, but she had stopped it. Instead now, it had her blood. That couldn't be much better for whatever they wanted it. But hopefully it wasn't enough to do what they had wanted.

A couple of lights blipped above her. One confirmed her suspicion that the machine hadn't gotten enough of her DNA. The other… well that suggested that she was going to have company in a very short time.

Right, note to self: Don't stick your hand into strange machines. A) It hurts. B) The people in charge will know you are here… C) You are too much like the Doctor for you own good these days, Tyler!

She went to go hide in the shadows. And disappeared.

**?...DW…?**

It was a surprise when she found herself looking more or less at the same scene. Her new uncanny sense of time told her that she had only jumped a few minutes into the future. She was still in the same room, just a different spot. She was behind one of the old metal bins where she had been planning to hide.

But now the room was different. For one, it was crowded. She gasped when she saw who was there, but it was lost in the cries of someone else.

"It's taking a tissue sample," the Doctor winced. He was wearing the strange blue suit again and he had his arm buried up to the shoulder in the pod. His arm was trapped in it and he winced and jerked about as the machine sliced at his hand. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! And extrapolated it! Some kind of accelerator?" he guessed.

Finally it released him and he jumped back, looking at his hand. Rose was glad that she had managed to get her arm out of there. Thank god for skinny arms. Donna and Martha ran over to him and checked the hand too.

"Are you alright?" Martha asked him grabbing the hand.

"I don't know," he said distractedly. He was focused intently on the larger part of the machine with a baffled look on his face. Donna looked at it too as it began to smoke. Rose was just about to come out of hiding, hoping that fate would finally let her talk to him this time, when the doors of the cell slid open. "That's…" the Doctor faded out.

Smoke billowed out and they could see a figure standing inside it. The Doctor and his companions - past and present - stared in bewilderment as the twenty year old girl stepped out. She had long blonde hair that was tied up in a pony tail. She was slim and beautiful and clothed in tight black and camouflage green army gear. Although at the moment she was looking very serious, there was something cheeky in her black lined, blue eyes. She looked about curiously as the smoke around her cleared.

"Arm yourself," said a young, pock marked man who had been holding a gun at Donna. He handed a second gun to the girl who looked at it in horrified confusion for a moment… but then a few seconds later she was dismantling it and putting it back together readying it to fight, as if she had been born with the skill.

"Where did she come from?" Martha breathed, still holding the Doctor's cut hand.

"From me," he said, staring at the girl incredulously.

"From you?" Donna cried. "How? Who is she?"

"Well… she's…" the Doctor stuttered. "Well… she's my daughter." Rose felt her stomach plummet at the words, yet her heart soared in hope at the sight of the girl.

"Hello Dad!" the girl said cheekily, as she cocked the gun. All anyone could do for a moment was stare. They were all in absolute shock.

Soon the pocked faced kid was back and leading her away. "You primed to take orders, ready to fight?" he asked.

"Instant mental download of all strategic and military protocols, Sir," she replied in a sharp business tone. Like a soldier. "Generation 5000 soldier, primed and in peak physical health. Oh, I'm ready." She cocked the gun again, a familiar look of excitement on her face.

.

"Did you say, daughter?" Donna said slowly.

"Mmm. Technically," the Doctor replied.

"Technically how?" Martha asked.

"Progenation," he replied simply… before launching into his usual techno-babble. "Reproduction from a single organism. Means one parent is biological mother and father." They began walking forward, as did Rose. She was determined that this time she would talk to him. "You take a sample of diploid cells, split them into haploids, then recombine them in a different arrangement, and grow. Very quickly, apparently."

They stopped as banging sounds came from down the tunnel. "Something's coming!" the girl warned. But it wasn't just the noises from down the tunnel, there was also the soft crunch of a new set of feet behind them. Looking away from her target, she chanced a glance behind her… just in time to see Rose fade, right before her eyes.

**?...DW…?**

The next step bought Rose behind a wall of crates. The girl from the machine ran over and looked at her in surprise, before hoisting her gun and holding it over to where some of those soldiers were coming… What had happened in the… hour or so that she'd jumped? Hadn't the girl been on their side last she saw?

Seeing a familiar look of fierce determination, Rose realised something. She knew that look… because it was her own. She'd quite often caught a flash of that expression in the mirror. And it was then that she realised what must have happened.

The Doctor had said that the pod took a DNA sample and turned that into a person, the person who had used the pod as the biological mother _and_ father. But it couldn't have been more than two minutes after she'd nearly got caught in there that the Doctor was. There wouldn't have been time for anyone to know what had happened, let alone clean it. The machine taking his DNA still had her blood on it. Her DNA… it was _their_ DNA… _their_ daughter!

"There she is!" one of the soldiers cried. "At arms!"

Her daughter open fired, motioning for her to get low. The soldiers returned the fire and she ducked down to join Rose. She looked at her gun uncertainly… like it was wrong.

"Jenny! Come on!" the Doctor's voice called back. Hmm, Jenny, that was her name. It was pretty. Hang on… Aria had said something about Jenny…

"I'm coming!" Jenny called back. She turned to Rose. "Go, go to him. He can help. I'll cover you."

"Cease fire! Cease fire!" a voce called from the other side.

"Jenny! Leave it! Let's go!" the Doctor called.

"Go!" Jenny hissed at Rose.

"No, I'm not leaving without you," she told her daughter firmly. "Jenny, you don't have to do this. I saw the way you looked at that gun. You know how to handle it, but it feels wrong in your hands, doesn't it? Your heart…" it occurred to her that if it was mostly the Doctor's DNA that she would have two. "-_hearts_ tell you that it's wrong." Jenny looked at her with wide eyes. She could see the truth in her eyes. "The Doctor is a good man. He knows about war and how horrible they are. He hates violence. And he can help us. But we have to go to him. Don't waste your time doing _this_."

"You're a child of the machine," the other voice came again, getting a little closer. Jenny looked about in confusion, at a loss of what to do, and slowly stood. "You're on my side. Join us! Join the war against the Hath. It's in your blood, girl, don't deny it." Oh, that man didn't know how wrong he was. Every cell of her blood was screaming against war and fighting.

Jenny aimed the gun at the man, the determined look back. Then her eyes flickered to the woman sitting below her and she made her choice. She aimed higher and shot at the pipe over the man's head. A cloud of steam burst down on him and obscured everyone's view.

Laughing, she grabbed Rose's hand and they ran around the corner. But then, suddenly, the hand in hers was gone… and so was the woman.

**?...DW…?**

"-Having Jenny in the TARDIS, is that it?" Donna was saying teasingly as Rose suddenly found herself a few meters behind her and the Doctor. "What's she gonna do, cramp your style? Like you've got a sports car, she's gonna turn it into a people-carrier?"

"Donna… I've been a father before," the Doctor said quietly. Rose slowed her pace. She had been walking faster to catch up with them, but now she found herself hanging back. She wanted to hear this.

"What?" Donna said in surprise.

"I lost all that a long time a go," he said darkly - sorrowfully. "Along with everything else."

"I'm sorry," Donna said quietly. "I didn't know. Why didn't you tell me? You talk all the time, but you don't say anything." Once again, Donna hit it bang on the money.

"I know. Just…" he admitted to his constant cover ups. "When I look at her now, I can see them. The hole they left, all the pain that filled it. I just don't know if I can face that every day."

"It won't stay like that," Donna assured him. "She'll help you. We both will."

"But when they died, that part of me died with them. It'll never come back. Not now."

"I'll tell you something, Doctor. Something I've never told you before… I think you're wrong." Then she seemed to notice something else in his eyes, something darker. "What is it?" she asked. "There's something else isn't there?"

The Doctor hesitated a long moment, not moving. His mouth was slightly open and he had tears in his eyes. "She reminds me of Rose," he finally said in a broken whisper.

Rose felt a lump rise in her throat. "Doctor!" she called. But at the same moment, gunfire started.

The Doctor thought he heard a painfully familiar voice call his name. Quickly he whipped around… but the corridor was empty. And soon Jenny was bouncing back into his arms.

**?...DW…?**

Rose's cry of frustration was lost in her gasp of wonder at his new setting. They weren't in dark, dirty, falling apart corridors anymore. They were in a beautiful bright room, filled with gorgeous plants and bubbling brooks. The air smelled gorgeous and a beautiful cloud of luminous gasses floated in the air above them.

The room was crowded too, though no one seemed to notice her appearance… did they ever? On one side stood the soldiers, only one now holding a gun… all the other's had theirs on the floor. The same went for all of the group on the other side. They were some sort of half human, half fish creatures that had bright green tanks attached to where their mouth should be. Donna and Martha stood with their back to her. And in the center of the room stood two of the people she found she loved the most. The Doctor and their daughter, Jenny.

"It means a new world," the Doctor said to her softly, with a huge grin. Jenny giggled and grinned back. But the smile fell from her face when she looked over at the group of soldiers.

"No!" she cried, and jumped in front of the Doctor, just as the old soldier with the gun shot. The bullet hit her in the chest and she fell against the Doctor.

Rose's throat had closed up, she couldn't scream or cry out. She couldn't even find it in herself to move. If she moved, she might fade away… and she couldn't leave her baby girl. They didn't notice as the other soldiers took the gun from the man and forced him to his knees.

"Jenny," the Doctor said in shock as he lowered her to the ground and laid her back in his lap. Martha and Donna were at her side in an instant. "Jenny! Talk to me, Jenny!" Martha lifted Jenny's hand and inspected the wound.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Donna asked shakily. Martha shook her head mournfully, not making a sound.

"A new world," Jenny whispered. "It's beautiful."

"Jenny, be strong, now," the Doctor told her. His eyes were wide and desperate, though his voice was still soft. Martha and Donna stood and backed up, giving him space. They were so close to Rose that she could touch them if she just reached out. But her hand was pressed firmly over her mouth to stop her sobs. "You need to hold on. Do you hear me? We've got things to do, you and me. Eh? Eh? We can go anywhere. Everywhere. You choose."

"That sounds good," she breathed, shaking with the sobs she was holding back.

"You're my daughter," he said reaching up to caress her face. "And we've only just got started. You're gonna be great. You're gonna be more than great. You're gonna be amazing! You hear me, Jenny?"

With one last gasp, Jenny closed her eyes, and stilled. Breathing deeply, tears in his eyes, the Doctor bought her forehead to his lips and held her there. He stayed there for a moment as pain contorted his face and he tried not to cry. Desperately he looked up at them. Rose knew that he could see her standing in between his best friends, but going by the wild look and pain in his eyes, she wasn't sure that he didn't think she was really there. Did he? Why didn't he ever seem to run to her or get excited when she was there?

"Two hearts," he croaked, rocking slightly. "Two hearts, she's like me. If we wait… if we just wait…"

The other two looked down at him sympathetically. "There's no sign, Doctor. There is no regeneration. She's like you, but… maybe not enough."

"No," he said looking right at Rose. "Too much. That's the truth of it. She was too much like me… And too much like her damn stubborn mother…"

A small sob escaped his lips and Rose could handle it no longer. She let her own sob slip and taking a step forward, pushed Martha and Donna out the way… and was gone.

Martha and Donna looked at each other in bewilderment as they righted themselves. They were both certain that they had heard a sob. Martha was sure she had seen a flash of blonde. And they had both felt a hand upon their back… but there was no one around. And it may be a little strange, but Donna liked to think that perhaps it had been Jenny's spirit. Making sure that they were okay.

**?...DW…?**

"You sure about this?" Donna asked Martha as they stepped from the TARDIS.

"Yeah, positive," she replied. "I can't do this anymore. You'll be the same one day."

"Not me. Never! How could I ever go back to normal life after seeing all this?" Donna cried. "I'm gonna travel with that man forever."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Martha said in a very quiet sad voice. Donna shot her a confused look. "Once I caught him sleeping… he was sleep talking… about Rose. From the sounds of it, she promised him that she would stay with him forever…"

"Oh god," Donna breathed.

"Hey… Before… when he said that Jenny was like her mother… Do - do you think…?"

"Yeah," she said quietly. "He was talking about her. I'm certain of it… He told me earlier that Jenny reminded him of Rose."

They stood there in a sombre awkward silence for a while before Martha attempted to plaster a smile on her face. "Well, good luck!"

"And you," Donna replied. The two of them embraced. And not long after, Martha was being led away for a last chat with the Doctor. Leaving Donna staring after them. She looked sadly at the lonely Time Lord. She, best of all people, knew how well he hid his pain.

Rose! She hadn't told him she was coming! …But what effect would that have on him after losing Jenny. No, she'd give him a moment longer. Let him grieve.

.

"We're making a habit of this," he repeated what he'd said to her a year ago… or two depending on the way you look at it.

"Yeah, and you'd think it would get easier," she replied. She sighed. "All those things you've been ready to die for… I thought for a moment there you'd _finally_ found something worth living for." They stopped outside her house.

"Oh, there's always something worth living for, Martha," he told her. But she could see the pain he was trying to hide. She opened her arms and he ducked down to give her a hug.

"Always," she whispered in his ear. "And you never know… she might come back one day." She hoped he knew who she meant.

She didn't mean Jenny. She meant Rose. Because she was certain that she was out there, trying to find her way back. That woman… the blonde woman who she'd met at the hospital, who told practically told her she had to go with him, and let slip about the Face of Boe. She had suspected who she was only a day after. And she had seen her so many more times out of the corner of her eye, like she was trying to get to them, but couldn't… And she'd seen her somewhere else. She'd seen her in that photo that the Doctor always carried in his coat pocket.

And she held on to that hope. That just maybe one day, Rose Tyler would return, and the Doctor would be happy again. And she hoped that he clung to that hope too.

**?...DW…?**

Rose walked slowly through the room. It was no longer dark. Bright sunlight streamed in through the windows and shone down on the table in the middle of the room. On that table lay her daughter's body. Another sob racked her body as she stepped closer to stand by her daughter's head.

She ran a hand softly down Jenny's cheek. Then she leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. When she drew back, Jenny's eyes were blinking open. And the girl grinned.

"Jenny!" she sobbed joyfully. "Oh my god, Jenny, you're alive!" she pulled her daughter into a hug. The first one she'd had. It took a while to convince herself to let go.

"Hello again," Jenny grinned. "Who… who are you?"

"I'm your mother," Rose told her, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Are - are you Rose?" she asked. Rose looked at her taken aback for a moment. "I heard Dad telling Donna that I reminded him of you." Rose couldn't help but smile. "So are you two married?"

"No, I wish," Rose laughed. "…Well, we will be one day, I think. But I'm your biological mother."

"What? But the machine only takes DNA from-"

Rose held up her hand to show the jagged shallow cut that was crusted in dry blood and already healing over. "I pulled my hand out before the process could complete. My blood was in the machine. The Doctor went right after. It was both of out DNA's mixed. You're our daughter… quite funny really," she mused.

"I - I saw you," Jenny said. "You disappeared into thin air… _twice!_"

"Yeah, seems to be a habit of mine," she laughed. At the moment nothing could get her down. Okay, she hadn't reached the Doctor again. But her first daughter was still alive. "So what are you going to do now?" she asked. "I would take you with me, but I don't even know how to control it myself."

"Well, from what I hear, there seems to be a good business in saving planets, rescuing civilisations, defeating creatures and running. An awful lot of running. Love the running."

Rose laughed. "Well, I heard that there's an unguarded, single pilot spaceship three corridors down to the right and on the surface."

Jenny squealed and dragged her into a huge hug. "Thank you, Mum!" she cried. "I'll see you and Dad again soon."

Rose kissed her daughter on the head, then they took each other's hand and ran down the corridor. One running to her freedom. And one fading into nothing.

.

.

.

* * *

><p><em><strong>And another happy ending! Happy endings make you feel so much lighter after reading them. And I figured that there was too much sad stuff in this story. Of course, I love the sad stuff, it's one of the things I'm best at.<strong>_

_**So, as you can tell from the previous chapter, they obviously meet up with Jenny again sometime in the future.**_

_**I love Jenny! I hope they bring her back for a special episode on the show or something, let the Doctor off the hook.**_


	13. Hallucinations

**Hallucinations**

.

.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Donna asked him, peering over his shoulder.

"I'm trying to figure out this bloody password!" he said in annoyance, banging the screen. She looked at the screen, but as usual, it was all written in his silly circles.

"Well, what is it?" she asked.

"It's a file. It just suddenly appeared out of nowhere four years ago. But I created it, so I must have wiped my memory of it. Look at the hint, 'You'll remember it one day'. Blimey, wasn't I a cheeky sod!"

"Do you know what it's about?"

"No," he replied. "All I know about it, is that it just appeared one day. And it's labelled 'Loupa'."

"Loupa… that means 'wolf', yeah?"

"Not quite," he told her. "There's no such world as 'loupa'. It's a variant… a feminine variant. The closest to it is the French word 'loup'… but yes, I guess it would mean wolf."

"And what's that word?" she asked, pointing to the one before it. The Doctor blinked… that word had never been there before. He paled when he realised what it meant.

"Méchant," he murmured. "…Bad… It means bad…"

"What, Bad Wolf… like a kid's story?" she scoffed.

"No, like a message!" he cried, hope filling him. Frantically he typed, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

B-A-D_W-O-L-F - 'Password Incorrect'.

T-I-M-E_V-O-R-T-E-X - 'Password Incorrect'.

R-O-S-E_T-Y-L-E-R - 'Password Incorrect'.

'Access Denied - Password attempts exceeded three per day limit.'

"No!" he cried out in anger. "No, no, no, no, no!" he gave the computer another good bash and was about to give it another when Donna caught his hand. He looked at her to see a look of fear and concern on her face.

"Doctor?" she asked softly.

"It doesn't make any sense! This appeared days before I met her!"

"It's Rose, isn't it?" she said. He nodded dejectedly. Finally remembering _and_ feeling it was the right time to tell him, she went to repeat Rose's message. "Doctor, I've seen her," she said.

"So have I," he replied. "All the time…" He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, maybe the Master was right. I'm going mad."

Donna faltered. Surely if Rose had come face to face with the Doctor then she would have made it obvious to him that she was there. Would have ran to him and hugged him… and from what she had said, it was hard to find him… So how could he see her all the time. If he was _seeing_ her, then she doubted he'd believe her about her being back… What was she going to do?

"You know what?" she said to him. "We need a break. Just you and me… Some sort of planet with no monsters or end of the world fiascos. Just a relaxing day… a spa or something."

Glad of the distraction, the Doctor jumped to his feet with a grin. "I know the perfect place! Oh, you'll love it, Donna. Midnight spa and resort! The entire planet is made of diamonds!"

**?...DW…?**

The Doctor moved into the empty 'private tour area' of the crusader that came to rescue them. It was in a separate room to the rest of it and had much less seats. It also looked a little more fancy… But what mattered most was it was empty. He really didn't want to be around others right now. He didn't really care about what they had nearly done to him, that wasn't his problem… he just wanted to be alone.

Sighing, he sat down against the side of the chair, much like he had back in the other Crusader. For a moment, the absolute silence was bliss. He attempted to loosen himself up, but that _thing_ in his mind, taking over him and freezing him still… It was one of the worst experiences of his life.

And those people… he knew they were frightened, but that was ridiculous. It had very quickly become an almost 'Lord of the Flies' scenario. None of them would listen to logic. Dee Dee and Jethro were actually the smartest of the bunch… and even they doubted. But even then, they couldn't have done anything to stop the others… not that they had tried.

Why were humans like that? Why couldn't they ever just listen? Was humanity really that horrible?

…Why did he even bother?

.

The Doctor barely even looked up as Rose suddenly appeared out of nowhere… but that was noting new to him.

"Doctor!" she cried happily. But her face soon fell as she took in his expression. Not wanting to leave him now, she sat down opposite him and leant back against the side of the chair.

"Hello," he said blankly. "So… what are we going to talk about this time?"

"What?" she said in confusion.

"Well," he said, "usually you tell me that I need to look after myself more and stop acting like a stupid ape and do something about it. You tell me that you know you'll find me, or I'll find you."

Rose's mouth went slack with horror when she realised what was going on. He thought he was hallucinating!

"Then we usually talk about what's just happened with me," he carries on. "And something about how much I miss you, and the fact that though I love travelling with Donna and I love travelling with Martha, it's nothing like travelling with you. And I want you back… I wish you were really here," he sighed mournfully.

"Doctor, I _am_ really here," she told him. "This is me. I'm not a hallucination."

The Doctor let out a hollow laugh. "That's what you always say."

To prove it to him, she moved forward, arm stretched out ready to touch him. But he quickly skittered back, pushing himself into the space between the chairs and she faltered.

"No!" he said desperately, before calming a little. "Please, don't ruin it." When Rose hesitantly sat back, he moved back to where he's been and let out a short dark laugh again. "Is that bad?" he asked. "Is it wrong that I would want to lose what's left of my sanity so I can keep seeing you and believe you're truly here?"

This made Rose giggle a little. "You know, you can't have it both ways. Either I'm really here and you talk to me like I'm here. Or I'm just a hallucination and you treat me like one."

The Doctor hesitated a moment, never truly looking at her. "What the hell, it's a long ride back," he shrugged. "So, you're here… you know I mentioned you again today."

"Really, to who?" she asked, deciding to play along. If she could catch him with his guard down, she may be able to touch him.

"Sky," he said tightly. "She was saying that her ex-girlfriend had moved to another galaxy. I told her you were in a different universe."

"What? As in me being your girlfriend?" Rose laughed, feeling more like herself teasing him than she had in a long while

The Doctor went a little red at that. "What? I - No!" he floundered, only making her laugh more. "Friend. I said friend."

Rose couldn't help it. She wanted to know why it had always just been 'friends', when if there was one thing the future, and the past (…and practically everyone else) had shown her, he loved her too. She really couldn't help it. It just slipped from her lips. "Why _was_ it just 'friend'?"

"Because I was an idiot," he sighed.

"You got that right!" she laughed. A smile tugged at the Doctor's lips, but it fell away at her next statement. "Well, I hope Sky gets over that cow."

"She's dead," he said flatly. "This … creature broke into the Crusader and took her over… I think she died instantly. It was a horrible creature. So dark… It would keep learning. Repeat, synchronise, advance. It found the smartest voice in the room and stole it."

"Yours," Rose said quietly.

He nodded, "I couldn't move. I could only repeat what she was saying… it was horrible."

Seeing the look on his face was heartbreaking. Instinctively she moved to give him a hug, like she usually would have, but he skittered back. She dropped back against the chair in defeat.

"You really don't believe me, do you?" she asked sadly.

"You know I believe in you," he told her. "Remember the Beast?"

"No, I mean you don't believe I'm truly here. Me, Rose Tyler, not a hallucination." He shook his head.

"As much as I wish…" he sighed. "It seems the universe hates me."

"But what about in your last incarnation, remember? The Narushian Bazaar… the day me and Jack visited my mum?"

"You know they were dreams… nightmares."

"But I damn near told you the future!" she cried in annoyance. "I looked older!"

"Timelines bleeding through. I'm a Time Lord."

"You're impossible!" she accused.

"So are you."

"You don't know the half of it," she sighed.

.

They continued the rest of the two and a half hour ride in near silence. Every now and then they would start up meaningless conversations, but they never lasted long. All attempts to touch him or convince him of her being real were futile.

It was actually a relief when a voice announced that they had arrived back at the leisure place. The Doctor and Rose got up and left right away, Rose following hesitantly behind. She didn't want to disappear. Not now of all times.

When she caught up to him, he was in the embrace of a bathrobe clad Donna. When Donna let go, she saw her and grinned.

"You're back!" she cried in delight.

"Yup," Rose replied, finally smiling.

The Doctor looked between the two of them in confusion. "Hang on," he said. "You can see her?"

"Course I can, you Dumbo!"

Now the Doctor turned to Rose and stared at her in bewilderment, he actually _looked_ at her. Hesitantly, he held up a hand and gave her a small push in the shoulder with his pointy finger. When his finger men sold Rose, she rocked back a little and his mouth fell open it shock.

"Told you it was me," she grinned.

The Doctor said nothing, didn't even look embarrassed at his mistake. He just swept her up into a bone crushing hug and buried her face in her shoulder. She sunk into the hug, so glad to finally be hugging the right him. When he pulled back and put her down, she could swear she saw tears in his eyes.

"You're crying!" she laughed, wiping away tears of her own.

"What are you talking about? Me, crying? You're the one who's crying!" He looked at her a moment longer, a huge grin on his face before the bewilderment set in again. "But - but how did you… I saw you… you ran out of thin air!"

Rose sighed. "We've already been over this a few times," she told him.

"No, we haven't!"

"Yes! Remember that time on the Titanic?" She asked. It wasn't until the words were out of her lips that she remembered their true meaning. What they would do. She could have kicked herself for not saying that line sooner.

"What are you talking about? You were never on either Ti… Oohhhh…" He paused a moment while he sifted through his newly discovered memories. He found that a lot more things about his life made sense now… And Rose… "What the hell are you doing?" he cried in horror. Before she could blink, he had swept her up in his arms, bridal style. "You are staying off those feet until we get you back to the TARDIS!"

"Am I now?" she asked in amusement.

"Yes. I just got you back, and there is no way in hell or any other universe out there that I will lose you again. So you are not allowed to so much a move your feet until we can ground you."

"Yes, Sir," Rose mocked with a salute.

Donna smiled when she saw the brilliant grin that lit up the Doctor's face. She had never seen him like this before. Oh, he'd been his happy manic self majority of the time. But he was always hiding something underneath it. With Rose here, it was like it had all melted away.

She could remember the look on his face when she first met him well. It was filled with such pain… it was almost the exact opposite of what she saw before her now. He was happy and free… This must have been how he was before he lost her.

.

She followed after them as the Doctor carried Rose all the way through the resort to the guest parking. He didn't stop talking the whole way about how it drove him insane trying to figure out who she was when he was younger. And about how crazy all of this was. It only made Rose and Donna laugh more.

"Donna, could you please get the door," he said.

"I put the key in my pocket," she replied sarcastically. "Oh, look. I don't _have_ any pockets on me right now!"

"Ugh, you and your pockets," he sighed in frustration. "Mine's in my right side pocket."

"What do you mean, 'me and my pockets'!" Donna sniped. "You and _your_ bloody pockets. I'll never find it in there! I'd be more likely to find the pear you put in there seven years ago!"

"A) I don't_ like_ pears. And two) I haven't even had this coat for that long!"

"Hey!" Rose called over top of them. "If it will stop you two kids form arguing, I have a key on my necklace." The Doctor and Donna both paused a moment and blinked in shock and amusement. The Doctor grinned when he saw the key that Rose was holding up from the ribbon around her neck.

Donna grabbed it from her and was about to put it in the door when she paused and took a closer look at it. "Hey, I've sent his before," she said in surprise. "This is the key I found at that little Brattigan's Academy."

"Yep. I got it back from your Grandfather. He's lovely by the way."

"Oh no," the Doctor groaned as Donna unlocked the door. "That one _wasn't_ a hallucination?"

"Nope. And you are in big trouble, Mister," Rose scolded.

"I wasn't having a very good day, alright… A very good year…" He amended. "Or two…"

"Yeah, I know. I've been there for half of it."

"I thought I'd seen you more than just those two times!" Donna said, walking into the TARDIS with a smile. The Doctor looked down at Rose and grinned. Almost at the same time, they took a deep breath, and he stepped forward into their beloved ship.

"Rose Tyler. Welcome home."

.

.

.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Not much left to go now. Just a chapter. Two at maximum. I'm thinking of leaving it off at a bit of a cliff hanger leading it off into Stolen Planet. But you already know most of what happens there, you don't need me to tell you… Well, maybe if you beg… a lot. I guess it all depend on how many times I want to end up rewriting Journey's End.<strong>_


	14. Finally some Answers

**Finally some Answers**

.

.

She felt it the instant she was set down on the grating of the TARDIS. Part of her reached out. She could feel the TARDIS in her mind, greeting her like a long lost sister. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she felt something inside her settle and join with the marvellous ship she had been chasing for nearly two years.

"Hello, old girl," she grinned, placing a hand on the nearest coral strut. She felt a warmth stoke her mind and she shivered pleasantly. "I missed you too. But I'm home now. I hope he's been looking after you." The TARDIS gave a half-hearted grumble. "Oh, let me guess, he spent more time than you liked on repairs?" An affirmative hum.

"Are you talking to the TARDIS?" Donna cried incredulously. Beside her, the Doctor looked baffled.

"You can understand her?" he put in, using the same tone as Donna.

"Yeah…" she said slowly. "Doesn't she usually start warming up to everyone?"

"No," the Doctor responded. "Well, yes, she does warm up to people, but no one ever actually gets what all her sounds mean. When did you get it?"

"Erm… after you regenerated."

"Oh! Of course!" he cried rushing over to the console. Rose followed, his enthusiasm getting her excited. "Right after you looked into the heart of the TARDIS. One name. One name, that is so stupid!" he said in annoyance as he typed her name into the password section of the Loupa file. "I almost had it this morning. But I put Rose Tyler. So _close!_"

"So, what is that file, then?" Donna asked from just behind them.

"It's a record of Rose… before I actually knew her as Rose. This cheeky one decided to travel through all of my past regenerations."

"Hey, I didn't choose to, it just happened. I had no control over it."

"Being me, I found her _very_ interesting and generally curious. She let me know just the bare minimum, that she was going to be a companion of mine one day and was trying to get back to me. Finally she let me take some scans and blood samples. Not much of it made sense. I could get a few things, but I was missing too many details. Now that I know them, a lot more of it makes sense!"

He pulled up one of the diagrams that showed her DNA.

"That ain't human," Donna said.

"No, that's Rose. I could never make out some of it, but now…" He cocked his head and examined it for a moment, slipping his specs on. "You're human-plus," he told her. "Human plus Time Lord to be specific… and something else. See, this is obviously human." He pointed out that part of the strand. "And this strand here is Time Lord - you have no idea how much that shocked the hell out of me - but these two here… they look so familiar. I was trying to figure it out when I was called away to the Time War." He paused a moment and his mouth slowly dropped. "But… No! It can't be. Yes! No... Hold on."

He ran across to the nearest strut and used the sonic to chip a bit of coral off. When he got back to the console a second later, he placed in a small hole and an analysis began to appear on screen. It showed a DNA strand for the piece of coral, two of which matched Rose's perfectly.

"TARDIS," he said flatly, completely stunned. "You're part… TARDIS…" He stood and stared at her in bemusement before letting out a somewhat shocked, short laugh. "Well, I guess that explains a lot."

"Yeah, it does."

"Wait," Donna said in bewilderment. "So… she's pretty much a human/Time Lord/TARDIS? And that's why she can just... disappear? So where did you end up after talking to me?"

"First or second time?" Rose asked. "The first time I met you was actually the one of the first times it happened. Went to that purple forest, wanted my Mum and ended up god knows how many years in the future, Mum was an old woman! She told me that thought somewhat controlled my destination, so I thought of home and ended up at the TARDIS, right when it faded away. And there was Donna standing in her wedding dress behind it!"

"I thought she was another alien," Donna said. "Turns out I wasn't really wrong. What about the second time?"

"The Ood Sphere. Not long after you, I'm guessing. The TARDIS print was still in the snow. Had a good talk with Ood Sigma. Told me that I would be 'ending your song, like you ended theirs'. Oh, and there was a message. But remind me to tell you that later, because as worrying as it is, we're in a time machine and for once the universe can wait. I want some answers."

"But… but I've already told you what you were…"

"Yeah, and what about that thing that happened when you first met me? You grabbed me there was this… shock or something. When you were curly hair and teeth you said you knew what it was and tell me when I found you again."

The Doctor rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well, I didn't really have all the details back then. I mean the basis of it is still the same, but considering that you're also part TARDIS it could mean something completely… Oohhhhh…"

"What?"

"Do you remember when I regenerated?"

"How could I forget," she snorted.

"You said the translation circuits were down when I was unconscious. In some way, I'm connected to the TARDIS. We have a bond… The last time I felt that bond shock was with the TARDIS."

"So she's not going to function when you're out to it?" Donna said.

"No, no, she's enough of her own person that she's fine. Thing is, I said that it hardly happens between Time Lords, let alone humans. Truth it, it hardly happens ever. I was genuinely surprised when I connected to the TARDIS. Once it does that, it can't really have another owner. If you die… so does your TARDIS."

"What is this, Eragon?" Donna snapped, not liking the thought that if he died - and if she was correct in assuming what he was getting at - then Rose and the TARDIS would die with him. "Let me guess, if they die, you live on?"

"Curse of the Time Lords…" Rose muttered.

"No!" the Doctor said. "Well, the TARDIS maybe. She's _very_ old. Millennia old. It's only a one way bond… Rose, when _we_ bonded, it was two way. We both felt it just as strongly."

"So, if one of us dies… so does the other one?" She didn't altogether like the sound of that.

"Essentially, yes. But if one dies… the other could keep them alive." A huge grin was slowly growing across his face. "Rose! This means I'm not going to lose you!"

For the two years he had travelled with her, he had a constant underlying fear that he would lose her one way or another. Now, that wasn't going to happen. Without warning, he swooped her up in another huge hug, his arms wrapping around her tight. So tight his arms had almost doubled back to him again. He had never been able to do that before…

Setting her down, he took a closer look at her.

"Blimey, Rose, you're skinnier than me! Come on, we're getting you some food. How about chips? Bet you haven't had those in a while."

"Brilliant!" she said.

"Really, Doctor," Donna laughed as he set the TARDIS in motion. "She's skinny so you want to fatten her up! Is no one else allowed to be as skinny as you, then?"

"It's alright, Donna," Rose told her. "He knows it's because I haven't had much of a chance to eat anything. God, I'm starving. I haven't had a proper meal in three weeks!" Donna's mouth fell open at that.

.

When the TARDIS landed they all stepped out to brilliant sunshine. Donna lit up when she recognised this as somewhere close to her home.

"You know what? I'm going to go visit Gramps, let you lovebirds catch up." And then she walked off, leaving the Doctor embarrassedly rubbing his neck at the blunt statement.

* * *

><p><strong>?...DW…?<strong>

* * *

><p>They got their chips in relative silence. Just holding each other's hand, taking in the fact that they were together again. They couldn't help smiling when they noticed that the other was gripping just that little bit tighter, not wanting to let go or for this all to be a wonderful dream.<p>

After getting their chips, they went to a nearby park and set up on the grass. They doctor spread out his coat and they lay on that like they had on New Earth. They lay on their stomach to eat the chips. One hand always grabbing a chip, fighting each other for the best looking ones, the other hands rested together, always touching.

"I missed this," Rose said.

"Me too... You know, you haven't told me what else was real."

"Sorry?"

"When it was really you and not a hallucination," he told her. "Rattigan's wasn't. What else?"

"Erm, were you in that hospital on the moon? I met Martha there. I had a bit of concussion and _might_ have told her a little more than I should."

"Yep, I was… Hang on, Martha knew about you from the start?"

"She didn't really realise who I was till later. She told me that when I met a future version of her. Oh, and guess what? She's married to Mickey!"

"But she's engaged to Tom!"

"I'm just going from what I saw. Let's see… You would have seen me out of the corner of your eye a few times. I saw Donna when there was a murder or something going on. Agatha Christie." The Doctor grinned at the memory. "I saw you yelling at a witch. I woke Martha up when you collapsed. And what was up with losing your memory and being a school teacher?"

"I was hiding," he told her. "I had to become human, but it kind of rewrites my entire life, gives me fake memories and hides my real ones. Do you have any idea how freaky it is to see your dreams become real life?"

"If I wasn't so confused, I would have been laughing," she told him with a grin.

"Thank you, you're so supportive," he said sarcastically as they quickly fell back into their old ways. Then he became rather serious. "Just tell me, were any of the times on the Valiant real?"

Rose hesitated. She remembered his reaction as the Master had attacked her. She couldn't let him think that was his fault. "What's the Valiant?" she said.

"Liar," he accused sadly. "Which time?"

Rose sighed in defeat. "I think it might have been the first time. You seemed pretty shocked to see me. He broke my leg, but I still walked on it till I escaped."

"Yeah, that was the first time," he said, his voice tight. "Everything just went quiet, and when he came back it was like nothing had happened. He told me that I was starting to see things… and I guess I was. That was when I started seeing you all the time."

"Well, there was one other time that I can remember that you did really see me. Jenny." His face crumpled slightly and she realised that he didn't know. "You were right, you know. About me being her mother." She held her slightly scarred hand out to him. "That machine had both of our DNA. And let's face it; with the both of our DNA combined… how could she really be dead?

"But Rose, you saw. She - she _died_ in my arms!"

"And she woke up in mine."

"What?"

"She woke up, Doctor. She's alive!"

"She's alive?"

"She's alive." Slowly a grin lit up his face, and then he was laughing with incredulous joy and pulling her in for a hug. Then it faded, as he remembered another daughter who had died. One that truly wouldn't wake up ever again.

"I wish… I wish I could say the same for another of your daughters," he said. "'Course, in a way she's still alive. She's in the computer matrix."

"Thank you. I can just see River's exasperation." She saw his eyebrows rise in surprise. "Yes, I met her. I've met all our children."

"O-our- _our_ children?" Rose laughed.

"Course, you silly. I love you; did you really think I would come all the way back here for someone else?"

The Doctor blinked at her for a moment, taking in all that was said. He didn't reply. He just pressed his lips to hers, pulling her closer like he had wanted to for so long.

.

Suddenly everything began to shake and the Doctor shuddered as he felt the world being pulled out of orbit. They clung together as the earth seemed to move in an unnatural way. And when it finally stopped… it was night.

Or was it? Looking up in the sky, strange planets could clearly be seen.

"What's going on?" the Doctor wondered aloud, concern and confusion evident in his voice.

Rose just stared up at the sky. Visions of what had seen coming back to her. "It's the Darkness," she said.

.

.

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><p><em><strong>Oh, alright! You twisted my arm! Journey's End, coming right up. If I count up all the other times I'm most likely going to write this episode, it's going to be somewhere around four or five times!<strong>_

_**But, as you can already see, it's going to be rather different to the script.**_


	15. Lost Planets Found

**Sorry, once again, this is unedited. But, I do have the next chapter and a bit written down on paper. Just need to type it up.**

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**Lost Planets Found**

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They didn't stop running till they were back at the TARDIS. When the Doctor saw that she was still standing there, he sighed in relief.

"Few," he said. "We're lucky she's still here. If what I think has happened, I'm surprised she's still here. There must be something keeping the TARDIS tied here… Actually, it's probably you." He plonked a kiss on the top of her head.

"What about Donna?" Rose said as he let them in.

"She's with her family. We just have to materialise into her house… Watch out for her mother, she's worse than yours! But Wilf is lovely."

"I've met him," she said.

"Really?" The Doctor paused. "When was that?"

"I don't know. I dropped my key at Rattigan's and Donna must have found it."

"You and that key… you keep losing it. We need a better way for you to get in, in case you lose it again… Hey! I wonder if it will work for you." He lowered the key he had raised to the lock and turned to grin at her. "New trick I learnt, courtesy of the brilliant River Song." He paused a moment, remembering the horrid memory of her dying before him. And trying to shake off the new information that she was really his daughter. "Just imagine the TARDIS door opening… and click."

Rose looked at him strangely and the Doctor just nodded in encouragement. So she closed her eyes, imagined the door of the TARDIS swinging wide open, as if to welcome her home, raised her hand… and clicked.

There was a distinctive snick and she opened her eyes to see the door opening. The Doctor grinned at her broadly.

"Must be the bond," he said cheerfully before dashing inside.

"So, why are there planets in the sky? What happened?" she asked as he danced around the console like she had always remembered him doing.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I felt something. I felt time shift. We've been moved through time, out of sync… and if I know that nebula, we're in the Medusa Cascade."

"So, then, those other planets have been bought here too?" she assumed.

"Yes," he said excitedly. He was so happy that it was just like old times. The way she would always ask questions and guess at things… and more often than not get them right. "The Medusa Cascade doesn't have any planets… at least, not anymore." He was quiet a moment as he thought about what had been lost in this once wonderful place. The reason he had not been back there since he was only 90 years old. Then he sniffed and jumped back to dashing around the console. "We'll go get Donna and then see what's going on. That woman would murder me if I left her out."

They landed with a thump the second that he finished speaking. It was only a few seconds after that, they heard the key in the lock, and the door opened to reveal a stormy Donna.

"Alright, Spaceman, what the hell has happened now?" she bellowed.

"Well, I don't know yet, do I? Had to make sure you were okay. Now get in!"

"What the bloody hell is this?!" a grating voice said. Both the Doctor and Donna flinched.

"No, Mum, stay out here. Keep Granddad company. Oh, and stay inside, _the both of you_." And before Wilf or her mother could complain, she shut the door behind her. "Ugh! _Never_ leave me in the middle of a disaster with that woman _ever_ again!"

"_That_ bad, huh?" Rose said, looking at the Doctor.

"Well, she _is_ the only mother who hasn't slapped me yet."

"Hello," Donna interrupted as the Doctor landed them somewhere else. "Planets in the sky!"

"Right. Yes. I'll run a scan now." Once again, he was dashing around the console using his foot to hit switches and reaching further than that he should.

"Rose, when the word 'display' pops up on the monitor, hit the purple button."

"Okay," she said. Although, she was a little confused. Why would it say 'display'? The TARDIS screen was _never_ in English.

She did as he asked anyway, and watched to the cue. Soon the circular patterns of Gallifreyan popped up on the screen. As she looked at it, though, it became clear in her head what it meant. She blinked in surprise before coming to her senses and pushing the button.

She didn't pay much attention as huge orbs were projected around the room. She just turned to the Doctor.

"How did you know that I could read Gallifreyan?"

"Just a guess. If you can speak it, then why can't you read it?" From his Cheshire grin, Rose knew he was being cheeky about something.

"We're speaking it now, aren't we?"

"Yes we are," he said happily, bouncing on his feet. "From the moment you looked at the monitor, actually. So you started it."

"What the hell are you two on about?" Donna said. They both turned to see her looking at them in bewilderment and annoyance. And they had to admit… it was quite amusing. "Would you two please stop speaking gibberish and tell me what the hell is happening out there?"

"Sorry, couldn't help it," the Doctor said. "Blimey, it's been a long time since I spoke my own language. Anyway, let's see what we've got." He pressed a button and the images on the screen were projected into the air. Around them were twenty-seven holographic planets, including Earth. "That's Pirovilla!" the Doctor exclaimed as he saw the planet. "Adipose III. The Lost Moon of Poosh. Looks like we've found those missing planets, Donna"

"Hey! That's Woman Wept!" Rose cried, pointing to the planet she had once begged him to take her back to more than once.

"And Clom! Who'd want Clom?!"

"With the Absorbaloff?" Rose said in disgust. "Hang on, what's that?" She pointed to something that was hidden among the planets.

"It's a spaceship…"

"I bet ya it's their fault," Donna said.

"I think you're right, Donna… That ship looks familiar… Look at this," he said, suddenly delighted. "Twenty-seven planets in perfect balance. It's gorgeous! Gorgeous and powerful. It's like an engine. All those planets fit together like pieces of a giant engine. But for what?"

They were interrupted as the planets flickered away and the screen buzzed. It just showed static for a moment, then a voice came over the speaker.

"Can anyone hear me?" she said. "The Subwave Network is open. You should be able to hear me."

"I know that voice," Rose said. "Harriet?"

"Can anyone hear me? This message is of the utmost importance. We haven't much time… Can anyone hear me?"

"Harriet?" Rose called louder.

There was a moments silence on the other line before she spoke again. "I'm hearing things…" Before Rose could tell her otherwise, another extremely familiar voice crackled though.

"The whole world's crying out. Just leave it."

"Captain Jack Harkness, shame on you! Now stand to attention, sir!"

"What?! Who is that?" Jack said. Seeing the static clear from the monitor, they rushed to the screen in time to see a video of Harriet sitting at her desk, holding up her ID.

"Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister."

"Yeah, I know who you are."

"Sarah Jane Smith, 13 Bannerman Road. Are you there?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I'm here! Yeah, that's me!" another familiar voice called. The Doctor laughed in incredulous wonder at the sound of his old friend's voice.

"Good. Now, let's see if we can talk to each other."

She began typing at her keyboard, and in seconds, four new video boxes had appeared around Harriet's, creating a five way video call. The static cleared from one to show Jack and the other to show Sarah Jane and a young boy who looked like he'd only just reached his teens.

"Seems like our other two contacts are having trouble getting through. Let's see if I can boost the signal." She tapped at the key board again, and soon the fourth screen was filled with a video of Martha.

"Hello?" she said.

"Martha Jones!" Jack laughed in delight. "Martha, where are you?"

"I guess Project Indigo was more clever than we thought. One second I was in Manhattan, next second… Maybe Indigo tapped into my mind, because I ended up in the one place that I wanted to be." A similar looking woman who must have been her mother came on screen and looked fondly down at her daughter.

"You came home," she said. At the end of the world, you came back to me."

"But all of a sudden," Martha continued. "It's like… the laptop turned itself on?"

"It did," Harriet said. "That was me. Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister."

"Yes, I know who you are," Martha said.

"I thought it was about time we all met, given the current crisis. Torchwood - this is Sarah Jane Smith."

"I've been following your work," Jack told Sarah Jane. "Nice work with the Slitheen…"

"Yeah, well, I've been staying away from you lot. Too many guns." She gave a weary nod at the boy next to her.

"All the same… might I say, looking good, ma'am."

"Really? Ooh!"

"Oh, not now, Jack. And most certainly not with her!" the Doctor cried.

"Doctor?" Martha said.

"Oh, yes, sorry. Hello. I'm here too. Oh. Oh, I'm the last contact. Sorry, I don't usually leave the TARDIS open to Subwave Networks. Not on my side anyway. Learnt my lesson with that one already. Give me a second." He dashed around the other side of the console and pressed a few buttons before jumping back.

A light above the monitor flashed and then a video of them appeared in the last box. Everyone seemed to blink in shock.

"Oh my god," Harriet said, holding her hand to her heart, a sad look on her face as she stared at the screen.

"It's you!" Martha cried. Jack just laughed and clapped. It was Sarah Jane who finally cleared the confusion and asked around what everyone was going on about.

"Rose?! Oh, Doctor, what have you done?"

"What do you mean 'what have I done'?"

"You know better than interfering with time lines!" she said, sounding quite distressed.

"I haven't!" he said defensively.

"Then why is Rose here?"

"I came back," Rose said.

"From the dead?!" Suddenly she clamped her hand over her mouth, realising what she had let slip.

"Ohhh… I forgot about that…" the Doctor said.

"_Forgot_! You went to her memorial service!"

"You did?" Rose said in surprise.

"She never died!" he cut over top of them impatiently.

"That's Rose!" Martha said. "But… I know her!"

"Yup, that's her," Jack grinned. "Good job, Rosie. I see you found your man."

"Yeah, I got there eventually," she grinned.

"Hang on!" the Doctor said. "You knew too? Why am I the only one who didn't know?!"

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Doctor, Sarah Jane and I didn't even know she was still alive. But, anyway, back to the matter at hand. I actually gathered everyone to help find you… Only it seems that job is now done."

"This _is_ a pretty impressive piece of tech. How did you do it?"

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Subwave Network. It was created by the Mr Copper foundation and I developed it. It's a sentient piece of software programmed to seek out anyone who could help to contact the Doctor… It appears that extends to the Doctor as well."

"Mr Copper?" the Doctor said with a hint of delighted suspicion.

"What if the Daleks can hear us?" Martha said.

"Daleks!" Rose cried before anyone could reply. "But rid of them! Again!"

"The Cult of Skaro escaped," the Doctor told her. "Temporal shift. They ended up in New York during the depression. Martha and I ran into them… Only Dalek Caan survived."

"Oh, that's just not fair!"

"My thoughts exactly," he huffed.

"But it's not just Dalek Caan anymore," Martha said. "There are billions of Daleks, all over the world."

"How many times do I have to wipe them out of existence before they stay gone?"

"Let's try one more time, Rosie," Jack said.

"I agree," Sarah Jane said. "Let's get rid of them once and for all."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" the Doctor said, a somewhat horrified expression on his face. "You do realise you're talking genocide".

"They're taking people off the streets, Doctor. I can't stand for that. You know better than anyone there's only one way to stop them."

"_Taking _people?" Rose said. "But Daleks just kill... it's all they're good for."

The Doctor blinked hearing words so similar to what he had once said. It was strange to think that they now all saw as he once had, yet he, who had lost so much because of them, was still cringing at the thought of them being gone.

Maybe it was understandable. A lot had changed in the last few years. He didn't want to commit _another_ genocide. And he couldn't let Rose go though that again, either. To top it off, he didn't want any of his other friends to go through that either. No matter how horrid the race, having the guilt of destroying so many lives was not an easy burden.

What did that leave for him to do? Was there even any chance of reasoning with them this time?

"We could do with a weapon right about now," Jack said. "Martha, back at UNIT, what did they give you? What was that key thing?"

"The Osterhagen key," she said darkly.

"The what?" Rose and Donna said at the same time.

"That key is not to be used, Dr Jones," Harriet said in a firm voice. "Not under any circumstances!"

"What's an Osterhagen key?" the Doctor asked. "Well, obviously made by someone called Osterhagen, but anyway…"

"Forget about the key, and that's an order! It is nothing to worry over, Doctor, because it will never be used. It would be better off being destroyed."

"Harriet," the Doctor said. "Thank you." The woman blinked in surprise. "What you've done here, it's incredible."

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"Doctor, I'm going to come to you," Jack said. "Martha, open that Indigo device… Now, there's a sting of numbers that keep changing. But the fourth number keeps oscillating between two different digits. Tell me what they are."

Martha did as she was told. "It's a four and a nine. We could never work out what they are."

Jack shrugged on his jacket as he spoke. "Yeah, it's the teleport base-code. That's all I need to get this thing working again!" He began fiddling with his Vortex Manipulator. "Oscillating four… and nine. Thank you, Martha Jones! Locking onto the TARDIS…. Gwen, Ianto, I'm coming back. Rose, sweetheart, see you in a tick!"

There was a zap, and Jack disappeared.

"Ooh! So he's coming here," Donna said excitedly. Rose roller her eyes and the Doctor opened his mouth to reprimand his friend, but another voice cut him off.

"Doctor, Mr Smith has found where you are. I'll be there as soon as I can."

And before anyone could reply, her screen went blank.


	16. The Crucible

_**As promised, here is another chapter. So it urns out that I have been sitting on a few. I've been so intent on writing, that I forgot to post. So, I just have to finish typing up half a chapter of Gaps, and I'll have two to post. So, I hope these few can tie you over for the next few weeks, while I move houses, make Christmas costume for work, and Christmas day. So I should have something up soon after boxing day.**_

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><p>.<p>

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**The Crucible**

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"Is it just me," Rose said. "Or does it seem _really_ easy to find the TARDIS right now? Both Jack and Sarah Jane found us in seconds… So not fair, it took me two years!"

"Wait a minute, what if these Dalek things find us too?" Donna said.

"Quite likely," the Doctor said. "A Dalek is a genius. But, for now, we're safe in the TARDIS."

No sooner had he said that, the door swung open, making everyone jump. There was an audible sigh of relief from everyone onboard when they saw the figure of Captain Jack Harkness step through the door.

"Hey everyone," he grinned. "Look who I found." He stepped aside to reveal that he had been followed in by someone very familiar, dressed in his black Torchwood gear.

"Mickey!" Rose cried before launching herself at him. "Oh my god! How did you get over here?"

"Well, it wasn't easy, but while you were jumping from universe to universe on your own, we got the dimension cannon working," he said. "The walls of the universe are weak. Something's up, Rose. It just started happening one day. All the stars were going out. It was just this… I don't know-"

"Darkness," Rose said.

"Yeah."

"Hold on," the Doctor said. "Rose, you said that before when this first started. What is the darkness?"

"I told you I stayed with the Ood," she explained. "They showed me something. This nightmare they'd been having. Everything was gone. In a split second, gone. There was nothing. The end of time, the end of all reality. And there was this face… Old and dead, he looked like a mummy… but he was laughing. And he had this light on his head…"

"A split second?" Mickey said. "But this has been happening for weeks. It's not just my world, it's all of them. Even the Void's dead."

"But not here," the Doctor said. "The eye of the storm."

"So it starts here and spreads out to every universe before it actually happens?" Donna said, slightly confused.

"A ripple back," he said. "Whatever happens is going to be so big that the ripple effect goes everywhere, including back in time… because there's nowhere else for it to go."

"Which really begs the question, what the hell are the Daleks doing?" Rose said. "They have to be taking people for a reason."

"Something that obviously wont take long," the Doctor sighed. "They're usually a bit more subtle in the way that they take people." Suddenly the power went down around them. "Like that. They used to be a lot more subtle… or blunt, depending on how you look at it."

"What's happening?" Donna cried as the TARDIS began to shake.

"They've got us," the Doctor said, attempting the controls to no avail. "They've taken down the power… Rose?" He stopped when he noticed that Rose was leaning heavily on the console.

"Doctor, I'm so tired," she yawned. He rushed over to her and held her by the shoulders.

"No, no, no, no. Come one, stay awake. You hear me?"

"Doctor, what's wrong?" Mickey said.

"The device they've used, it's some sort of chronon loop, put on the outside of the TARDIS. and it will shut down the power of anything remotely TARDIS or that deals with the vortex inside."

"And… Rose is a TARDIS…? Jack said uncertainly.

"Part TARDIS, yes."

"Yup," Rose said tiredly. "I'm a little blue box that goes 'woosh, woosh, woosh'!" Everyone almost jumped when the real TARDIS noises came out of her mouth. The Doctor gave a little chuckle at her tired antics.

"You know, not all TARDISes looked like this," he said. "This one does because it's Chameleon Circuit is broken."

"I can't change… Is my Chameleon Circuit broken too?"

"Well, if it is, I like what it's stuck on."

"Okay," was all she said, her eyes drifting shut.

"No, no. Look at me." Rose forced her eyes open and gave him a weak smile.

"There's a massive Dalek ship at the center of the planets. They're calling it the 'Crucible'," Jack said. "I guess that's out destination."

"You said these planets were like an engine," Donna said. "But what for?"

"I'm not sure… But whatever it is, I bet it's powerful enough to cause what Rose and Mickey saw."

Finally the monitor gave a small beep and the Doctor looked at it to see that they had arrived.

"The Dalek Crucible. All aboard!"

"What, out there?" Donna cried. She didn't like the sound of Daleks one bit.

"**DOC-TOR,** -** YOU** -** WILL** -** STEP** -** FORTH** -** OR** -** DIE!**" came the robotic voice of a Dalek.

"We'll have to go out. 'Cause if we don't, they'll get in."

"But - you told me nothing could get through those doors," Rose said. She still sounded sleepy, but seemed much more alert.

"You've got extrapolator shielding!" Jack said.

"Last time we fought the Daleks they were scavengers and hybrids and mad. But this is a fully fledged Dalek empire at the height of it's power. Experts at fighting TARDISes. They can do anything. Right now, that wooden door, is just wood."

"What about your Dimension Jump?" Jack asked Mickey.

"Na, it needs another twenty minutes to recharge. Besides, it only takes one, and I'm not leaving you lot to them." Rose gave him as warm a smile as she could manage.

"Jack, what about your teleport?"

"Went down with the power loss. Like you said, anything that deals the with the Vortex."

"Right then," the Doctor said. "All of us together… yeah?"

"Well, at least we know we won't die," Rose said.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, Jack's immortal. Mickey has to get married. And we still have three more kids to have."

"Sounds like you've got it all planned out there, Rose," Jack laughed.

"She's seen it," Mickey said. "Evil woman won't even tell me when I'm going to meet this Jones lady!"

"Martha?!" Donna cried.

"Wasn't supposed to tell him," Rose mumbled. "Hang on… 'The Crucible'. 'The What-able'. 'You'll find out'. Oh! Oh, that's now!" Everyone looked at her oddly and she just shrugged. "Conversations in the future."

"**SUR-ENDER - DOC-TOR,** -** AND** -** FACE** -** YOUR** -** DA-LEK** -** MAST-ERS**."

"**CRU-CIBLE** -** ON** -** MAXI-MUM** -** ALERT**."

"Daleks," she laughed nervously.

"Oh, god!" Jack said in a funny voice, trying to inject humour into the situation.

"We better get out there," the Doctor said. He turned to Rose. "You sure we survive this?"

"Either that, or I've been living in a paradox."

"Right then… Nothing for it, eh?" And with a deep breath, he stepped out the door. Rose followed behind him, and then everyone else.

They stopped when they saw all the Daleks. It was more than Rose had ever seen before… and once she had jumped right into the middle of Skaro. Instinctively, she moved closer to the Doctor.

Then behind them, the TARDIS doors swung shut and the light on top flashed, but, thankfully, she did not start to dematerialise as they had thought for a second.

"**WHAT** -** IS** -** THIS?**" demanded the big, shiny red Dalek.

"How am I supposed to know? It's never done that before," the Doctor said.

"**YOU** -** ARE** -** US-ING** -** YOUR** -** TAR-DIS** -** AG-AINST** -** US!** -** THIS** -** IS** -** TIME** -** LORD** -** TREACH-ERY!**"

"Me?! But I haven't done anything! It did it on it's own!"

"**NEVER-THE-LESS:** -** THE** -** TAR-DIS** -** IS** -** A** -** WEA-PON.** -** AND** -** IT** -** WILL** -** BE** -** DES-TROYED!**"

"What?! No!" Rose cried. "You can't."

"What?!" the Doctor said at the same time. "You can't be serious!"

The next second, there was a mechanical creak and the TARDIS dropped down a trapdoor.

"No!" Rose cried.

The Doctor ran to the edge and peered down the hole in the ground. He turned back angrily to the red Dalek. "What are you doing?! Bring it back!" He began to panic. He couldn't lose his ship. "What have you done?! Where's it going?"

"**THE** -** CRUC-IBLE** -** HAS** -** A** -** HEART** -** OF** -** Z-NEU-TRINO** -** ENER-GY.** -** THE** -** TAR-DIS** -** WILL** -** BE****-** ** DEP-OSITED ****-** **INTO ****-** **THE ****-** **CORE.**"

"But you can't!" he cried in horror. "You've taken the defences down. It'll be torn apart!"

He couldn't lose his ship… And even worse, he couldn't lose Rose. She was connected to the TARDIS as much as she was him. If the TARDIS died, he didn't know how long he would be able to keep her alive…

"Doctor, I can do something," Rose said, grabbing his arm.

"What?" he turned to her. "No!"

"I have a connection with the TARDIS. I can save her!"

"You can't. It's too dangerous!" he begged.

"If the TARDIS is destroyed, I'll die eventually anyway. And then you won't hold up much longer either. I've been to quite a few universes where you weren't there. I can't let this be one of them. I'm grounded to the TARDIS now. It shouldn't be too hard to just-"

And she was gone.

"Rose!" the Doctor cried in horror, but there was no way to bring her back. "Please, stop! Rose is in there!"

"**THEN ****-** **THE ****-** **FEM-ALE ****-** **AND ****-** **THE ****-** **TAR-DIS ****-** **WILL ****-** **PER-ISH ****-** **TOGE-THER! ****-** **OBSERVE**," the Dalek replied coldly.

"No!" Everyone else had similar comments and cries of disappear. Rose and the TARDIS couldn't die. They just couldn't. All the Dalek did was indicate behind them. The Doctor strode in that direction as a holographic screen appeared above them. In it, they could see the TARDIS as it bobbed in the burning energy.

"**THE ****-** **LAST ****-** **CHILD ****-** **OF ****-** **GALLI-FREY ****-** **IS ****-** **POWER-LESS**."

The Doctor looked on in horror, fear growing deeper. He whipped around to the Red Dalek. "Please. I'm begging you, I'll do anything! Put me in her place! You can do anything to me, I don't care, just get her out of there! Please!"

The Dalek said nothing. The Doctor turned back to the screen. By now, his breath was coming out in pants, and he was trembling.

"**YOU - ARE - CONN-ECTED - TO - THE - TAR-DIS. - NOW - FEEL - IT - DIE!**"

"**TO-TAL ****-** **TAR-DIS ****-** **DEST-RUCTION ****-** **IN ****-** **TEN ****-** **RELS**," another Dalek stated. Jack walked up behind the Doctor, placed a hand on his shoulder and gripped it tightly. Donna walked up on the other and grabbed his limp hand in hers.

"**NINE. ****-** **EIGHT. ****-** **SE-VEN. ****-** **SIX. ****-** **FIVE. ****-** **FOUR. ****-** **THREE. ****-** **TWO. ****-** **ONE.**"

The TARDIS faded away into the molten energy.

"**THE ****-** **TAR-DIS ****-** **HAS ****-** **BEEN ****-** **DEST-ROYED. ****-** **NOW, ****-** **TELL ****-** **ME, ****-** **DOC-TOR… ****-** **WHAT ****-** **DO ****-** **YOU ****-** **FEEL? ****-** **ANGER? ****-** **SORROW? ****-** **DESPAIR?**"

The Doctor just stared at the screen. He didn't know what to feel. He was hollow and numb. He was horrified and sad. Though, if there was one thing he did know, it was that he should be feeling differently.

If Rose or the TARDIS had been destroyed, he would have felt it. _Really_ felt it. He would be down on the ground in agony. Instead he just felt… empty. And that alone, gave him hope.

"Yeah," he whispered. Donna looked at him sadly. She knew how much Rose meant to him. She had seen what he was like…

"**THEN ****-** **IF ****-** **EMOT-IONS ****-** **ARE ****-** **SO ****-** **IMPOR-TANT, ****-** **SURE-LY ****-** **WE ****-** **HAVE ****-** **EN-HANCED ****-** **YOU**."

"Yeah?" Jack shouted. "Feel this!" He took his hand from the Doctor's shoulder, and faster than the Daleks could react, he pulled out his gun and shot at the red one. The bullets, of course, just bounced off it. That didn't stop him from shooting more.

"**EXTER-MINATE!**" It shot it's death-ray at Jack, who screamed as his body lit up enough to see his skeleton, and fell to the floor.

Donna let out a scream. She fell to her knees next to Jack, her hands fluttering over his in distress. "Oh my god!"

"Donna…" the Doctor said softly, kneeling beside her.

"They killed him. They - they shot him with that _thing_ and killed him. And Rose and…" Tears began to run down her cheeks.

"I know. There's nothing we can do," he said sadly. He pulled her to her feet and put an arm around her. He looked over at Mickey, who was standing there in shock, face streaked with tear tracks. Right now there was nothing more he wanted to do than join them in mourning, but he still had that one shred of hope. So he had to be strong. He had to keep it together…

"**ES-CORT ****-** **THEM ****-** **TO ****-** **THE ****-** **VAULT**," the red Dalek said. "**THEY ****-** **ARE ****-** **THE ****-** **PLAY-THINGS ****-** **OF ****-** **DA-VROS, ****-** **NOW**."

The Doctor looked up in shock. Did he - did he just say '_Davros_'?

"_WHAT_?!"

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><p><strong>?…DW…?<strong>

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><p>Rose choked as she appeared in the TARDIS. Many parts of the console room were on fire, and the smoke was thick in the air. She could barely stay on her feet, due to the shaking. She squealed as lights burst from the walls and showered down on her.<p>

Stumbling, she made her way to the console where she looked at the mess of buttons. He had taught her to fly it once or twice… but she had never done it on her own before.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She had noticed that when the Doctor had regenerated, parts of the console had changed with him, but she knew them. She knew a lot of them. She only had to remember.

Instinctively, her hands began to reach across the console, she moved about, stretching as far as she could go to reach things. She could swear that it was meant to be flown by more than one or two people.

Soon, she heard the TARDIS materialising, and she smiled. She hadn't set a time, place or date, so she only hoped that she knew where to go.

.

A moment later, the engines stopped and she looked at the monitor. From what she could make out, she had only jumped a few minutes ahead in time. She wasn't all that far from the crucible. If she did anything too rash they would notice her here.

She folded her arms, looked about, and sighed. "What am I supposed to do?" she said to no one.

She had saved the TARDIS, but now what? How was she going to get back to help them. Better yet, what situation where they in. She didn't know what part of the ship they were in, or what sort of trouble they had gotten into by now.

She was just about to guess at co-ordinates, when suddenly there was a loud crash from just beside her.

Part on the console cracked open… and a gold light, filled the room.


	17. An Old Enemy

**An Old Enemy**

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"Activate the holding cells," an all too familiar voice said from the darkness. Three spots of light fell down over the Doctor, Donna and Mickey. The Doctor looked up to see his old foe rolling out of the shadow. Still, he held in his look of shock. "Excellent. Even powerless, a Time Lord is best contained."

"Still scared of me, then?" the Doctor asked. He reached out and carefully touched the edge of the cell with his hand. It rippled with blue light, and sent a small shock. His hand quickly recoiled.

"Ha! You're voice is different, yet its arrogance is unchanged. It's time we talked, Doctor, after so very long-"

"Yeah. I agree. How about we start with, oh, I don't know, how the hell you survived the Time War? I saw you die in the first year. At the gates of Elysium your ship flew into the jaws of the nightmare child. I tried to save you…"

"Oh, it took one stronger than you," he replied. "Dalek Caan himself." He pressed a button on his control panel, and light was cast upon a broken Dalek figure at the back of the room.

"I flew into the wild and fire. I dance and died a thousand times!" the broken Dalek Caan giggled in an insane singsong tone.

"Emergency temporal shift took him back into the Time War itself."

"That's impossible," the Doctor snapped. "The entire war is time locked."

"And yet, he succeeded. Oh, it cost him his mind, but imagine - a single, simple Dalek succeeded where Emperors and Time Lords have failed. A testament, don't you think, to my remarkable creations?"

"You _made_ those things?" Donna said aghast.

"Yes. And a new race of them, too. I gave myself to them… quite literally. Each one grown from a cell of my own body." He pulled back the side of his leather suit to reveal his rotten figure, his ribs and heart clearly visible. "New Daleks. True Daleks."

"Yesh. That explains a lot," Donna muttered.

"So full of fire, this one. But do you really know him, my dear, the real him?"

"Leave her alone. Let's stop this little nostalgia tour of yours. I want to know what's happening right here, right now. 'Cause the Supreme Dalek said 'vault', yeah? As in dungeon. Cellar. _Prison_. You're not in charge of the Daleks, are you? They've got you locked away down here in the basement, like, what? A servant? Slave? Court jester?"

"We have… an agreement," Davros said, stopping him from saying anything else.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I've got the word. You're the Dalek's pet!"

"So very full of fire, is he not?" he said, rolling over to Donna. "You know, you've seen it. And after all that, seeing what he does, you still stand by his side."

"Leave her alone!" the Doctor snapped.

"She is mine," Davros replied. "To do as I please."

"Oh yeah?" Donna said, trying to make her nervous voice as strong as it usually was. "Then why haven't you done nothing yet?"

"All in good time, dear companion. See, you must be here. It was foretold. Even the Supreme Dalek would not dare to contradict the prophecies of Dalek Caan."

"So cold and dark," sung the insane voice again. "Fire is coming… the endless flames…"

"He flew right into the Time Vortex…" the Doctor said, realizing exactly what that meant.

"Yes. And he did more than that. He saw Time. Its infinite complexity and majesty raging through his mind. And… he saw you. All of you."

"This I have foreseen in the wild and the wind," Caan giggled. "The Doctor will be here, as witness, at the end of everything. The Doctor and his precious Children of Time!" He giggled manically. "And one of them… the child will die!"

A coldness swept through the Doctor. 'The child'. How many times had he heard that. How many times had that phrase been used to describe one person.

"Rose!" he growled, his voice slowly rising to a shout. "You did this! Where is she? What have you done with her? Did you kill Rose? Tell me!" All his rage and pain that he had been feeling the past few years flowing through him.

"Oh, that's it!" Davros said in delight. "The end, the fire, the rage of a Time Lord who butchered millions. There he is." The Doctor simmered down to just glairing at him stonily. "Why so shy? Show your companion… show her your true self. Dalek Caan has promised me that, too."

"I have seen it. At the time of ending, the Doctor's soul will be revealed."

"What does that mean?" the Doctor snapped, almost sounding scared.

"We will discover it together… our final journey. Because the end approaches. The testing begins."

"Testing of what?"

"The Reality Bomb."

"The what?" Donna asked.

"Behold… the apotheosis of my genius." He pressed another button and another holographic screen appeared, displaying a scared looking bunch of people standing in a room. The voice of the Supreme Dalek could be heard counting down to zero.

"…**Two, one, ze-ro. Act-ivate plan-etary align-ment field!**"

"But that's Z-Nutrino Energy…" the Doctor said, slightly awed and scared. "Flattened by the alignment of the planets into a singe stream… No!" His head snapped to Davros in a blind panic. "Davros. Davros, you can't! You _can't! No_!"

Davros did not reply. All they could do was watch the screen as the green light on the machine charged up. For a moment, he thought he saw a blue flash of light in amongst the crowed. Then the people began to fade away into glowing particles and drift off in the wind. Every one of them… till there was none left.

"Wh-what was that?" Donna said shakily. "Doctor, what did it do?"

"Electrical energy, Miss Noble," Davros replied. The Doctor just stared at him in anger and disbelief, his breath coming out in ragged heaves. "Every atom in existence is bound by an electrical field. The Reality Bomb cancels it out - structure falls apart. That test was focused on the prisoners alone. Full transmission will dissolve every form of matter."

"The stars were going out…" Donna murmured. "Rose and Mickey. Rose said that everything was gone. The end of time and reality… And a face…" She turned towards Davros, remembering the description. It was him alright.

At her reminder, the Doctors eyes widened, then he narrowed them at Davros. "The twenty-seven planets. They become one vast transmitter. Blasting that wavelength…"

"Across the entire universe," Davros finished for him. "Never stopping, never faltering, never fading. People and planets and stars will become dust, and the dust will become atoms and the atoms will become… nothing. And the wavelength will continue, braking through the Rift at the heart of the Medusa Cascade into every dimension, every parallel. Every singe corner of creation! This is my ultimate victory, Doctor! The destruction of reality itself!"

They were distracted from Davros's rant when another screen flickered to life, and they saw Martha appear above them.

"-This message is for the Dalek Crucible. Repeat: can you hear me?"

"Put me through," the Doctor said.

"It begins, as Dalek Caan foretold," was all Davros said.

"The Children of Time will gather… And one of them… the child will die!"

"Stop saying that!" the Doctor cried angrily. "Put me through!"

"Doctor!" Martha cried when she saw him. "I'm sorry, I had to."

"Oh! But the Doctor is powerless. My prisoner. State your intent."

Martha held up a small black chip, encased in clear plastic. "I've got the Osterhagen Key. Leave this planet and its people alone, or I'll use it."

"That thing was mentioned before. Martha, what _is_ it?"

"There's a chain of twenty-five nuclear warheads placed in strategic points beneath the Earth's crust. If I use the key, they detonate and the Earth gets ripped apart."

"What?! Who invented that?!" the Doctor cried, absolutely appalled. "Well, once again, Osterhagen… But, Martha, are you insane?!"

"The Osterhagen Key is to be used if the suffering of the Human Race is so great, so without hope… that this becomes the final option."

"Bloody hell, Martha!" Donna gasped.

"That's _never_ an option!"

"Don't argue with me, Doctor," Martha snapped. "'Cause there's more than that. Now, I reckon the Daleks need these twenty-seven planets for something, but what if it becomes twenty-six? What happen then? Daleks? Would you risk it?"

"Ooh, she's good," Mickey said, speaking up for the first time since Rose...

"…She's got a point," Donna said quietly.

Suddenly another screen appeared beside the one of Martha. The Doctor gave a start when he saw who was on it. He was almost expecting Jack and Sarah Jane, but there in the back ground, was Jackie Tyler. Jack was standing centre front, holding something that was connected up to a whole bunch of wires.

"Oh… Jackie…" Mickey groaned.

"Captain Jack Harkness calling all Dalek boys and girls," Jack boomed. "Are you receiving me? Don't send your goons or I'll set this thing off."

"He - he's still alive!" Donna said in shock. "But they _shot_ him! And… who's that?" She pointed to Jackie.

"Rose's mum…" the Doctor whispered, tears in his voice. "C-Captain, what are you doing?"

"I've got a Warp Star wired into the mainframe. I break the shell… the entire Crucible goes up."

"Well, sounds like a better option than the Earth," Mickey muttered.

The Doctor looked at them as if they had all gone mad. "You can't!" he cried. "Where did you get a Warp Star?"

"From me," Sarah Jane said, pushing forward. "We had no choice. We saw what happened to the prisoners."

"Impossible," Davros hissed. "That face… after all these years."

"Davros," she whispered. Then, ice speared through her voice. "It's been quite a while. Sarah Jane Smith. Remember?"

"Oh! This is meant to be! The Circle of Time is closing. You were there on Skaro at the very beginning of my creation."

"And I've learned how to fight since then," she said. "You let he Doctor go or this Warp Star, it gets opened!"

Donna looked over at the Doctor to notice that he was looking at the ground, dismay on his face. There wasn't a moment of this that he didn't dislike.

"I'll do it," Jack assured them, making him cringe. "Don't imagine I wouldn't."

"The planet, or the Daleks… now that's what I call a ransom," Mickey said, sounding impressed. "Either way, Daleks… you lose."

"Doctor?" Donna said, finally voicing her concern.

"And the prophecy unfolds."

"The Doctor's soul will be revealed!" Caan giggled.

"Look at him," Davros said. "The man who abhors violence. Never carrying a gun. But this is the truth, Doctor: you take ordinary people and you fashion _them_ into weapons. Behold, your Children of Time, transformed into murderers. I made the Daleks, Doctor. You made this."

"They're just trying to help," he said quietly.

"And the ones who have died to help you? How many more? Just think. How many have died in your name?"

The Doctor stood there, in utter despair, everyone who he had wronged running through his head.

"The Doctor... the man who keeps running, never looking back, because he dare not, out of shame. This is my final victory, Doctor. I have shown you... yourself."

"No," Donna said, suddenly speaking up, making everyone turn to her. "It's not true. What you said about the Doctor, it's not true. He doesn't turn people into weapons. He takes them away. He shows them wonders and joys and… terrible things. He makes them _better._ He shows them that they can fight to make a difference, that they can change their life, and others. That they can stand up and make a difference. All the people he's left behind, look at them. They're still fighting. They're still out there, standing up for what's right. All the people who died? They didn't die for him. They died because they did what they thought what was right. Believe me, he would be dead by now, too, and it weren't for lack of trying. These people may be going about this the wrong way, but they were doing what was right. And that's more than what you're doing."

"**En-ough. En-gage de-ference ze-ro-five**."

"What will it be, Daleks?" Martha said threateningly. "The C-" Suddenly she was cut off as a transmat snatched her up and plonked her down not far from them. At the same time, Jack, Sarah Jane and Jackie were dumped into the same spot.

"Martha! I've got you, it's alright," Jack said, helping her up.

"Don't move!" the Doctor shouted at them urgently. "All of you, stay still." As he held up his hand to urge them back, it bumped into the holding cell, making the surface light up.

"Guard them!" Davros shouted at the Daleks. "On your knees, all of you. Surrender!"

"Do as he says," the Doctor told them. Slowly, his friends sunk to their knees, hands behind their heads.

"Jackie, I told you not to come!" Mickey hissed.

"But Rose said she'd be here," Jackie said. "Where is she? Where's Rose?" She looked hopefully over at the Doctor, but seeing his expression, her face fell.

"The final prophesy is in place." Davros said. "The Doctor and his children, all gathered as witnesses. Supreme Dalek… the time has come! Now… detonate the Reality Bomb!" If one were to describe in sanity, this would be it.

They began to hear the machine powering up as the planetary alignment field activated.

"You can't, Davros!" the Doctor shouted in desperation. "Just listen to me! Just _stop_!" Sadly, Davros ignored him.

A manic laugh ripped from the crazed creature. "Nothing can stop the detonation! Nothing and no one!"

The manic power trip was interrupted when a wind whipped around them, and a familiar sound filled the vault. Everyone began to look around in surprise, hope and delight on their faces. The Doctor just stood there in bewilderment.

"But that's…"

Behind them, Dalek Caan giggled joyfully.

"Impossible," Davros said, watching as the TARDIS materialized into sight.

There was a creak, and a bright light spilled out of the door, silhouetting a figure.

"Brilliant!" Jack breathed in awe.

"Did you miss me?" Rose said, grinning cheekily as she let the doors close behind her. Donna let out an incredulous laugh at the sight of the woman they had thought dead. With a sly smile at them all, Rose charged towards Davros.

"Rose!" the Doctor cried in alarm, knowing what he would do. And indeed, he raised his hand and a bolt of electricity shot out and hit… the wall. Rose was gone.

Davros looked shocked and stared at the place where the woman had been. Everyone else looked about for her.

"Hmm, this looks like fun." Her voice drew their attention over to the Dalek's console. She stood there, looking down at the buttons with a smug expression.

"Bloody hell, Rose!" Mickey cried in relief.

"You know, I wonder what would happen if I pressed this button… here." At that instant, an alarm could be heard, and the machine powered down. "Ah, no more 'end of the universe'… again. Glad to be of assistance."

"What… but…" the Doctor stuttered.

"You will suffer for this!" Davros said, enraged. He held out his arm again.

"Will I now?" She pressed another button, and the bolt of electricity backfired. "Because, see, I've been through a lot of suffering in the last few years, but none of it has ever been because of you. And it never will be."

"Exterminate her!"

"**Exterminate! Exterminate!**"

"Yeah… you always say that, but I don't see that happen often. Like now." She flicked more switches and the Daleks all made powering down noises, their weapons non-functional. "Like to see you try it now."

"Doctor, how did she do that?" Martha asked. "That… jump thing?"

"TARDIS," he replied, pride in his voice. "She's part TARDIS."

"And part Time Lord," Donna put in.

"And we can't forget that extra bit of human that makes me just so wonderful," Rose winked.

"You're a… TARDIS?" Sarah Jane said in confusion.

"Yep!" Rose grinned, pressing a few more buttons, making the holding cells disappear.

"Well, that is… interesting…" Davros said. "Daleks! Seize her!"

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* * *

><p><em><strong>Sorry for the odd place to stop off. It's really hard to find a good break point during this entire scene. But, I did my best. And I know you were all expecting Bad Wolf, but just hang on. We'll get to that bit!<strong>_

_**I hope you liked Donna's little speech. It just always annoyed me that no one stood up for him. They ALL know that he already feels bad enough about everything, and here Davros is, making it worse for him, and no one says anything! No one tells him the truth. So yeah, there are a lot of corrections I've made in this part (to the show, that is… you know, that thing that is trying to slowly kill us).**_


	18. High and Dangerous

_**Hello everyone! I finally overcame my writers block for this! I had one page already written and saved, then I wrote three more and my computer crashed. I lost those three pages, and it took me a while to get back into it, but I finally did.**_

_**Also good news, when my computer crashed, I lost a few pages worth of writing on one of my original stories. I found an audio recording of me reading the latest bit out to my best friend and co-author of that story, so I was able to copy down what I had lost! That was some luck!**_

_**Okay, well, I'm sad to say that this is the second to last chapter. That's right. The next chapter is the last. But, on the bright side, I've kept this chapter rather light and funny... kind of.**_

_**Yeah. Erm... You'll see.**_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

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**High and Dangerous**

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Rose Tyler threw back her head and laughed. "Seize me? How are they going to do that? Their weapon's aren't working, and last I checked, they didn't have back up guns or hands." Still, they did not stop getting closer. "Oh, all right then… Let's see, this one here." She turned a dial and every Dalek in the room began to spin. She laughed again. "Oh, brilliant! Spinning! Hmm, the Dalek Ballet! Dalek Lake? The Dalekcracker? Coppélia the Pepper Pot?"

"Erm… Rose?" Mickey said, a little concerned about how she was acting.

"And… spin the other way!"

"Is she normally this insane, or is it something else?" Donna asked.

"I'm… not sure. She's bubbly, but this is a little overboard… I haven't seen her like this since-"

"There we go, the holding cells are deactivated." The lights around them disappeared and for a second, they stood there in shock. "And the Vault's sealed. Hey, come on you silly little single type DNA critters, we've got work to do. Doctor, I could do with some help."

The Doctor blinked, laughed, then ran to Rose. Rather than dashing to help her at the console, he ran to her and swept her around in a tight hug. Without putting her down, he pressed his lips to hers. Just so glad she was still alive.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear so only she could hear him.

Suddenly Dalek Caan began to giggle gleefully. "The Doctor's soul is revealed! See him! See the heart of him!"

Both Rose and the Doctor looked at each other, and at Dalek Caan in amused scepticism. It seemed that the creature had seen it all, and twisted the words.

"You know what, Dalek Caan, I like you," she said. "Well, you know, despite the fact you tried to kill me a few years back."

"Rose, are you sure you're all right?" the Doctor asked, slightly concerned. She wasn't quite herself right now.

"Yup. I'm fine. Absolutely brilliant! Fantastic. Top notch. Moto bene! I feel _wonderful!_" She twirled around back to the console and started pressing buttons and turning dials. The Daleks spun the other way again. "Ha!" she cried.

"Rose, what did you do?" he asked her.

"I don't know! Isn't that brilliant! You know, I probably could make them do a ballet."

"How do you know what you're doing?" Mickey said as he came over. Everyone was either coming to stand near by, or attempting to deal with the Daleks.

"The TARDIS showed me!"

"She... showed you."

"Yup. After I got her out of that bloody inferno, next thing I know... '_pop'!_ Heart of the TARDIS is open and everything is gold and and there's all these images of what I have to do. Lots of buttons. Can't resist a big button!"

"But, Doc. Isn't that what made you regenerate in the first place? Rose took in the heart of the TARDIS and it nearly killed her. You had to take it out of her."

"Yeah, but I _am_ a TARDIS, silly!" she grinned at Mickey. "All the Artron energy is out of my body... well, mostly. I'm still kind of... Well, the effects are fun!"

"Exactly, even if she did take it in, it wouldn't harm her," the Doctor said. Logically, Rose should be fine, but something was still... off.

"Hang on... She's... high," Martha realized. "Look at her. She's got dilated pupils, she's not focusing properly, she's a little manic, look at her!"

Rose snorted. "Nooo! I'm not high. I'm... TARDIS-y!"

"Oh my god, Rose is high."

"On Time Energy."

"Hey, guys, guess what?" Rose interrupted them. "We're still on a ship full of somewhat malfunctioning Daleks. Anyone wanna do something about that, because I _think_ I've only done this room. Where's my skinny boy in a suit? We need to send this thing around the entire ship."

"I don't know what you're doing, Rose," he told her evenly, still trying to get over the fact that she may actually be off her rocker right now.

"Just do what I do." And she began pressing buttons. The Doctor watched her intently. He only had a rudimentary idea of what they all were, but he got the idea of what she was doing.

"It's s trip-stitch circuit-breaker in the psycho-kinetic threshold manipulator! That's brilliant! ...How did I not think of that?"

"Beats me. Now come on, we have twenty-seven planets, and I'm pretty sure they're getting home sick."

Meanwhile, the Daleks were crying out as their friends dealt with them. They pushed them about and out of the way, the pushed them over. Jack ran into the TARDIS and emerged with two guns.

"Stop it at once!" Davros cried, heading towards the pair at the console. "You will desist!"

"Mickey!" Jack called to get his attention, before chucking the gun at him. Mickey caught it and took the short step over to Davros, and aimed right at his head. Davros stopped in his tracks.

"Just stay where you are, mister," Mickey warned him. Around him, the rest of the team continued to sort the Daleks out as Rose and the Doctor worked on the console.

"All right-y!" Rose grinned. "Ready? And _reverse!_" The two of them eased out two rods on their own panel, and used a foot to get one each from the third.

"Off you go, Clom," the Doctor grinned. "And Adipose III!"

"Here we go. Back home! Shallacatop! Pryrovillia! The Lost Moon of Poosh! Go! Be free! Be free my children! Ha _ha!_"

"Bloody hell, she's worse than when Jack gave her Hyper Vodka," Mickey commented, earning a laugh from Jack and the Doctor. He also got an exasperated shake of the head from Jackie.

"Uh-oh, we need more power," the Doctor said. "Don't worry, I'm on it." He ran over to a loose cable near by and began to use the sonic on it.

"So, Doctor, I'm confused. What exactly is going on? How can Rose be part TARDIS?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Well, before she met you, Rose did something incredible. She absorbed the heart of the TARDIS, saved my life and destroyed the Daleks. Should have killed her by all rights. It was incredible she held onto it for that long, but she also somehow stayed alive after I took it out of her. I mean, _I_ regenerated after holding it for not even a fraction of the time she did. Over time, it changed her. She had merged with the TARDIS, taking on some of the DNA and some how became a... human / Time Lord / TARDIS hybrid."

"And now she's high," Mickey put in, highly amused by this fact.

"On pure Artron Energy," Jack added, just as amused by it as Mickey was.

"You two, are big dorks!" Rose put in from over by the console. At the moment, it was the best insult she could think up without actually being mean. And when she was drunk and being mean, she could be damn cruel.

"And," the Doctor continued. "Along the way she learnt to travel through time and space. And she found me."

"It took _waaay_ too long!" she groaned. He kept moving, and I kept moving, then I couldn't move. And did you _see_ how sexy he was in his fifth body?!"

"Erm... no. No, we parted ways when he was in his fourth."

"Sooooo hot!" she giggled. "Oh! And I nearly saw you too! I had to hide because you were at a market with the third him, and I knew I was going to meet you, so you couldn't see me or time streams would mess up and bad things would happen. More than likely Reapers would come swooping in, or the earth would go _bang!_" She mimed the actions as she spoke.

"Blimey, this is crack up," Mickey sniggered.

"Oh, would you shut up!" Jackie hissed, smacking him around the back of the head. "But Doctor, is Rose okay?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine. Her current state should wear off soon. And now that she's grounded to the TARDIS, she can learn to control her ability. She won't be zapping off to a random place at any moment, so now she can have a decent rest and really good food."

"Mmm. Foooood!" Rose moaned in the background, still working away at the controls.

"Yeah, but... I don't understand. How could she get high off this stuff. You said that Artron energy is from the Time Vortex, and she's in that all the time."

The Doctor looked up at Jackie, slightly surprised that she had remembered something like that.

"Um, I'm not sure," he replied. "Thing is, this time she didn't just go through the Time Vortex, she looked into the heart of the TARDIS itself... _again_. Not even I know what goes on in there. And last time she did it, it was strong enough to change her DNA completely into a – a... chimera of three different species!"

"So you have no idea what's wrong with her?"

"Jackie, she's fine. I'll take her to the medbay and sort her out after we stop the Daleks."

"Oh, all right then," she relented. "But I still don't like it... reminds me too much of that bloody Jimmy Stone."

"Aww, come on, Jackie," Mickey said, still keeping an eye on Davros. "You know Rose never did that. She hated it."

"Yep!" Rose replied. "It was silly and disgusting. But this isn't. It's fun. It's gold and sparkly." Everyone except the Doctor made a surprised noise when her eyes flashed god for a moment.

"How did she do that?!" Donna said.

"It's the Time Vortex," he said.

"Because I have it," Rose grinned. "It's mine. I can just reach in and 'pop'! Spacey-wacey things happen!"

Most people didn't really understand what she meant by that, but the Doctor could remember all too well when she made an entire hoard of Daleks disappear and made Jack a fixed point in time. He hoped like anything that ability would not slowly start to appear again. It was too dangerous for anyone. Even his brilliant pink and yellow Rose.

"No!" a raspy cry came from behind them, and they all turned to look at Davros. "You promised me, Dalek Caan! Why did you not foresee this?"

Dalek Caan giggled hysterically, his tentacles wiggling about.

"Oh, I think he did," the Doctor said. "Something has been manipulating the timelines for ages... making random coincidences happen. Getting Donna to the right place at the right time-"

"Making sure that Rose Tyler did not find him too early," Dalek Caan interrupted. He was met by at least three angry looks at that statement.

"That was you?" Rose cried. "_You_ bloody stopped me from finding him?!"

"Yes. I only wanted to help the Doctor. Rose Tyler, the Bad Wolf, saved me. Dragging me through the Vortex and into the Time War. This would always have happened."

By now, Rose had stopped and was looking at nothing, trying to figure this out in her head. Trying to remember doing such a thing.

"You... betrayed the Daleks?"

"I _saw_ the Daleks. What we had done throughout time and space. I saw the truth of us, Creator, and I decreed 'no more'!"

Suddenly, they were all interrupted as the roof opened up to the level above them.

"Heads up!" Jack shouted as the Supreme Dalek descended into the Vault.

"**DAVROS, YOU HAVE BE-TRAYED US**," the Supreme Dalek said.

"It was Dalek Caan!" Davros defended.

"**THE VAULT WILL BE PURGED! YOU WILL ALL BE EXTERMINATED**!" He shot one of his beams towards the console, causing sparks to fly and the console to malfunction.

"Hey!" Rose cried in annoyance as what she was doing stopped working. The power of the console was now confined to the ship alone. She couldn't finish sending the planets home.

"Like I was saying, feel this!" Jack cried. He hoisted up his gun and blasted the Supreme Dalek in half.

Rose looked at him questioningly. "Feel this?" she said. "What the hell was he meant to be feeling?"

"Pain," Jack shrugged. "Would have made more sense if you were there."

Meanwhile, the Doctor was studying the damage done to the console. "Oh, we've lost the magnatron! Ad there's still one planet left... Oh!" He gave an ironic laugh. "Guess which one. Look, we can use the TARDIS!" He dashed into the machine and began pressing buttons.

Back outside the TARDIS, Rose was still working furiously at the Dalek console, giggling as madly as Caan.

"Rose Tyler," Caan said, drawing her attention. "The prophecy must complete."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. Sounds good," she grinned. "Erm... What is the prophecy?"

"Well, in a nutshell, everything goes bang and someone dies," Donna told her before Dalek Caan could rattle off that blasted thing again.

"Oh, but we can't have that!" Rose cried. "I mean, explosions are fun and all, but I really like all of you... Well, except Davros. So, I'm going to say... _Nope!_"

And once more she was working at the console. She ignored what ever it was that Dalek Caan was saying now, knowing that he would try and convince her to do it. Instead she watched her hands go through the motions she had seen them do. She still had no idea what she was really doing. It was like her hands were on auto pilot, yet she knew that she was in control. It was a bit of a weird feeling.

Around the room, everyone was either talking to someone, watching her, or pushing spinning Daleks out of their way. And Mickey, of course, still had his gun trained on Davros, who was scowling away in his Dalek looking chair thingy.

Suddenly one or two of the Daleks exploded. Just, out of nowhere, they started exploding one by one. Their shrieks began to fill the air as the burnt. And in a split second, the room had erupted, quite literally, into chaos.

"It wasn't me!" Rose cried in horror. She jumped back from the console with her hands raised as if in surrender.

"What the hell?!" Jack shouted.

"What's going on? What's happening?" Martha exclaimed, looking about in horror.

"Rose, what did you press?!" Donna squealed, having been watching Rose the entire time.

"I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I've just been doing what the TARDIS showed me!"

The sound of explosions was thick in the air, and they could hear the Daleks screaming in other parts of the ship above them. Rose looked about frantically, trying to figure out what she had done wrong.

The Doctor stuck his head out of the TARDIS at the sound and instantly became shocked and horrified at the same time.

"What happened?!" He shouted to them.

"I don't know!" Rose squeaked again, tears starting to fall from her eyes as she uselessly tied to do something with the console.

"The prophecy is almost complete! The end has come in flame and pain! And one will still die!" Caan giggled gleefully as the fire that had caught the ship crept closer to him.

Everyone was knocked about as there was an explosion so big it rocked the ship. Debris began to rain down upon them.

"I can fix this! I can fix this!" Rose muttered madly, still attempting to work at the console. She ignored the debris and the fire.

"Get in the TARDIS!" the Doctor called. "Everyone! All of you inside, run! In, in, in, in, in!" Everyone began running towards the TARDIS and he did a head count as they dashed in. "Sarah Jane! Martha! Jackie! Donna! Jack! Mickey! Ro- ...Rose? Where's Rose?" He quickly turned and stepped outside again to find her.

Only, she wasn't at the console anymore. He looked about in panic, and finally he spotted her head of blonde hair... Grasped firmly in Davros's metal gloved hand. An evil grin was plastered across his face and Rose gasped in pain as he let go of her hair, only to grab her again by the throat.

"Rose!" the Doctor shouted in alarm. Davros laughed manically, tightening his grip and causing her to choke. "Davros, _stop_! _Please! _Let her go!" he begged.

"Oh, Doctor. This is your fault! You may have won the fight, but you have lost... _everything_!"

As he spoke, a bolt of electricity came out from his glove. Like it had before, it doubled back on him, but at the same time, it surged directly into Rose. The Doctor could only watch in terror as the bolt at her throat consumed her body for a split second, before the both of them fell limp to the ground.

A ripple went through him. It felt like his hearts were being turned to ice at the same time as they were being ripped from his chest. In his head, part of him felt empty... Something was missing... Something was gone.

"Rose!" he shrieked. Without a seconds thought about the flaming debris that were falling down, he sprinted into the thick of the inferno.

He barely spared a glance at the corpse of his old enemy, his blue Dalek eye no longer alight. He ran straight to the woman who lay just below him and scooped her up in his arms. He could barely see where he was running as he made his way back to the TARDIS. Tears had welled up in his eyes and were pouring down his cheeks.

"Get us out of here!" he called, the second he was through the door. Jack was instantly at the console, piloting them out, but he paused a moment when he saw Rose in the Doctor's arms. There were gasps from around the room.

"Rose!" Jackie sobbed, trying to go over to her, but Sarah Jane held her back. Jackie turned into Sarah Jane's arms and tried not to think about it. Tired to hold onto the hope that this wasn't really happening.

The Doctor lay her body on the grating. She was pale and covered in ash. Her eyes were still half open and that sight almost drove him insane.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! This isn't happening. Not now! She has to be okay! Rose! _Please! _ Rose!" he called desperately, shaking her limp body slightly. He checked her over, but there was nothing. No pulse, no breath, no sign of life...

.

...Nothing.

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><p><em><strong>...Eh... Heh... Erm... Please don't kill me.<strong>_


	19. Hope for the Future

_**Well, here we are, everyone. The last and final chapter! Hope you like it!**_

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><p>.<p>

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**Hope for the Future**

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"Rose... please..." he sobbed, he grabbed her and held her body closer. Around the room, everyone was silent except for Jackie who let out a small wail.

Every fibre of his being was screaming in protest. This was wrong. It was... painful. It felt like ice had spread from his hearts throughout his body. His mind was spiralling out of control, thinking back on every moment as he struggled to keep it from fading back into the darkness it had been lost in the last few years.

She couldn't be... No, she couldn't be dead. Not after everything that had happened. Not after everything she had done to get to him. Caan had said that one would die... it couldn't be her. It just couldn't.

They had just found each other. She still had so much life left. They had so much they had to do. She'd said that they had a future. A future with children and...

They had a future. And one of their future children had saved his life. If she had never lived to do that, then he would be dead. Or he would at least remember if his timeline had been rearranged to have someone else save his life. But it hadn't.

River Song, his and Rose's eldest daughter had sacrificed her life to save his. River Song, who wasn't even born yet. If she still existed then...

Frantically, he repositioned Rose so that he could place his hands on her head. Their connection had been instinctual and unpredicted. He had thought he felt that connection break. He had _felt_ her die in his head. But maybe, just maybe...

He closed his eyes and felt. He did nothing but fell. He searched for that place in his mind where she had been unknowingly settled for hundreds of years. He searched for her through the connection to her head. It was dark. So dark and empty. It was like he was going through an endless space without stars... a void.

Usually, he would have given up by now. Her body showed no signs of life, and her head showed no signs of life. When you were this far gone, there was no hope... But Rose was in his future, and he wouldn't accept it any other way. He had a connection with her. And no matter how deep she was buried, he would find her.

Minutes passed by in his head agonisingly slowly. It seemed like days that he had been sifting through the void in her head. Finally, right when he was about to be driven insane by the emptiness that was infecting his mind from hers, he saw it. A spark. A star in the distance. A small golden light that was all that was left of Rose. The one small part that was clinging frantically to his bond.

He pushed on faster, and the closer he got, the more he could feel her pull. Like she was trying her hardest to reach him. He couldn't do much to save her right now. He needed equipment, but for now he could drag that spark of life to the front of her mind. If he held onto it tight in his mind, fed light into it, he could keep her there long enough to bring her back.

"I can save her!" he said, coming back to himself.

"Doctor," Martha said in sympathy. "She's gone. There's nothing we can do."

"No, no, no! You don't understand. I can bring her back. She's – she's still in there, in her mind! I've got to get her to the medbay, now!" He stood and picked her up in his arms once more.

"But, the Earth is still-"

"_THE EARTH CAN WAIT FOR ONCE!_" he thundered. "I have a very short window to save her, and I will _not _lose her again! If you want to worry about the damn planet, Jack can take us into the vortex!"

"Nope," he replied. "I'm coming to help. The atmospheric shell will hold. She's saved the Earth countless times... For once they can wait for her."

The Doctor nodded, then the two of them turned and ran through the halls of the TARDIS. The rest of the group looked around at each other before following. When they reached the medbay, Rose was laid down on a bed, and the Doctor was searching frantically through the cupboards, muttering under his breath.

"Doctor, what are we looking for?" Jack asked.

"Nano-genes! Where the hell are the Nano-genes?!" he shouted as he started throwing things out around him.

"Have you used them since the last time? Since Rose and I had that accident on Valerym?"

"Ah... No! No, we haven't!"

"Under the shelf on the right! In the orange container!"

The Doctor grabbed it, then paused. "How do you remember that? You haven't been in here in over 150 years!" he said, slightly perplexed.

"You'd be surprised by how much I remember. Now hurry up and set those things loose!"

"How do I program it to her, DNA, though? She's unique!"

"She was the last one they worked on. Just... hope for the best?" he said, uncertainly.

"Please, work!" he whispered. Then he opened the lid of the container, and dozens of golden lights flew out. Without a pause, they flew over to Rose and swarmed around her body, surrounding her in a cocoon of golden light.

"What's happening?" Jackie asked, wiping away tears. "What are you doing to her?"

"Doctor, what are those things?" Martha said.

"Nano-bots, or Nano-genes," Jack replied. "51st century medical technology. Can heal anything, as long as it's got a template. I saw a whole ship of these things nearly screw up the human race because the first human they made contact with was a dead child in a gasmask, looking for his mother."

"Rose told me about that," Jackie said. "That was when you lot met. In World War II."

"And those can bring someone back to life?" Donna said in wonder.

"Yes, easy," the Doctor replied. "What's life but a quirk of matter. The hard part comes after. The Nano-genes will bring the body back to life, but Rose was so far gone. Her... her, well, her spirit, her soul was basically gone. The only thing keeping her from entirely slipping away was the bond that we made when I first met her."

"In the shop?" Mickey said.

"No, on Gallifrey. This was when I hadn't even left my own planet, and Rose just started jumping. Our skin touched for just a moment, and the Gallifreyan and TARDIS genes within her created a bond, a link between us. It's much like the link between a TARIDS and its Time Lord, only it goes both ways. I'm using this to keep the last little part of her alive. It's going to take a little bit of time to bring her back completely."

"But she- she'll be okay?" Sarah Jane asked.

"I don't know. I can only hope. But I can say that she has a future. I haven't felt a paradox or a time change. And if those two things haven't happened, then she is going to have a future."

After a moment longer, the Nano-genes flew away from Rose and settled back into the container. On the bed, Rose drew in a deep breath.

"She's alive!" Jackie cried out.

"Her body is alive. This is where I come in." He walked over to the bed and drew up a chair. He sat down and placed his fingertips on her temples once more. "This will take a while. You lot might want to find something else to do. Jackie... you can stay if you want, but I can tell you now, nothing much will be happening."

"I'm staying," she said. She went and grabbed a chair and placed it not far from him. She sat down and took Rose's hand in hers.

Jack nodded to him. "I'll go take the TARDIS into the Vortex. No point in letting the world wait _too_ long. They're probably panicking down there."

"Come on," Sarah Jane said to the other three. "Let's make out selves useful." She led them out, and closed the door behind them.

"Are you holding Rose's mind now?"

"I've been holding it this entire time," he said to Jackie. "I promise you, I will do _everything_ to bring her back."

"I know you will, love," she smiled sadly. She could see the pain and desperation in his eyes. It seemed more like he was making a vow to himself, not a promise to her. She knew that he would truly be a broken man if he lost her daughter. She could still see the lingering damage from the first time he lost Rose. Something told her that he would handle losing her even worse than she would. And Rose was her _child!_

She had recently spent months worrying about her, hoping that she was okay and that she had found the man. She was delighted on the occasional visits and worried at the sight as her daughter slowly deteriorated with every visit. If she didn't make it, Jackie would be more than devastated. No parent should have to bury their child. Yet, still she knew that the Doctor would suffer worse. He had been through enough without her already. The universes weren't ready to lose Rose Tyler just yet.

The Doctor closed his eyes, and delved into Rose's mind. The light that he had been holding onto all this time was still there as soon as he went in. He nursed it, trying to bring more of her back. He made the connections in her mind stable. Slowly, he used his mind to pull more and more of her back. A few hours passed, but he didn't notice as he did everything he could to save her. Eventually, he felt her mind brushing his, weakly trying to communicate with him.

A small smile passed across his lips when her mind embraced his. With the two of them working together, he was able to heal her mind a lot faster.

'_Doctor...'_ the whisper passed through his mind.

'_Rose! Rose, how are you feeling?'_ he asked back. She wasn't quite okay yet, but she was in the safe zone. At this point, he could just leave her to rest. Let her body go into whatever version of a healing coma it did. But he wanted to make sure. He wanted to see her wake up right before him.

'_I'm... I don't know. Dizzy?_'

The Doctor chuckled. '_I would imagine you would be._'

'_What happened?_'

'_Well... Well, you kind of... died.'_

_'...Crap!' _ This made him chuckle again. '_So... am I in heaven now, or what? Is it like... like in Supernatural where Heaven is your favourite memories?'_

_'Like in what?'_

_'Supernatural. It's an American TV show in the other-'_

_'No, wait, never mind. You're not dead. Not anymore. I used Nano-genes and our bond to bring you back. You're almost completely healed.'_

_'Oh... Okay... Here I was thinking life couldn't get any weirder.'_

_'Hold on there, Rose. I'm almost done. You can wake up if you want. Your mum's here.'She's really anxious to see you... We all are.'_

_'I'll try.'_

He was not fully aware of her waking up physically. Though, in his mind he felt her wake up a few minutes after he suggested it. Quickly, he healed up the last few connections and went back to his own mind. She _still _wasn't one hundred percent healed, but her body could take care of the rest on its own.

When he opened his eyes, Rose was smiling at a tearful Jackie, reassuring her that she was fine. To see her awake and okay, even though he knew she would be, still brought tears to his eyes. She turned towards him and smiled brightly.

"Doctor!" she said, throwing her arms around him.

"Hello," he grinned, holding her tightly.

"Hello," she replied. The memory of their personal joke making her smile even more and bury her head into his shoulder.

"God, I thought I nearly lost you for good!" he said, his voice muffled in her hair.

"You didn't," she assured him. "I'm still here, yeah?"

"Yeah." Yet another brilliant grin lit up his face. He was just so over joyed.

"Hang on, I'm starting to get bits from before..."

"What do you mean 'bits', love?" Jackie asked.

"There's things... missing... I don't know. The last thing I can remember was that I jumped into the TARDIS to stop it from burning... But I'm starting to remember other things... There was this golden haze. Like I was seeing everything through some sort of filter. And Davros. He had me by the hair. And... I don't know... Oh! And the planets! I was – I was off my rocker, and we were sending the planets home and- The Earth! What about the Earth? Did you get that back?"

"Well," the Doctor shrugged.

"What happened?" she said in concern.

"You were more important. We all figured they could handle waiting a bit while we got you sorted out."

"So, it's still there?"

"Yep."

"Oh, but it's okay," Jackie said quickly. "Once you were all right enough, that handsome bloke said something about putting the box in the vortex thingy."

"He put it out of time," the Doctor clarified. "Once we were sure you had a chance and he couldn't do anything else to help."

"So, are we gonna go help them now?"

"If you're up to it. You can stay in here if you want. Or you can sit on the chair in the console room."

"I want to be there," she said adamantly. "Besides, I just died. Jack does that all the time."

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply to that, but ended up just shaking his head. "All right, then. Come on."

He helped her up off the bed and then supported her as the three of them made their way into the console room. When they reached it, everyone looked up and let out a shout or cheer of rejoice. They all hurried to Rose to hug her or talk to her. It was a good few minutes before the Doctor could convince them to let her rest. Then she was practically taken from his hands again and placed on the seat.

Soon, the Doctor was taking them back to Earth, following the same path as last time so he got into the right time sync. When he was there, he checked the screen.

"We haven't been too long," he said. "That's good. Right. So, now we have to get Earth from here in the Medusa Cascade and drag it back to its place in the Milky Way Galaxy."

"But how are we going to do that?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Well, we can use the TARDIS to drag it home. But we'll need a little help. So..." He pressed a few buttons and the screen popped up with the video cameras again. "Hello Torchwood Hub! This is the Doctor. Are you receiving me?"

"Loud and clear!" Gwen said, as she popped up on screen. "Is Jack there?"

"Can't get rid of him," the Doctor joked. "Mind you, what would we do without him."

"You'd be dead without me!" he joked.

"No, Rose would," the Doctor muttered solemnly. "Hang on, she looks-"

"Spatial genetic maultiplicty, Doctor," Rose said. "She's a descendant and grew up pretty much on the Rift. Just like Gwyneth."

"Huh... What do you know. Right! Anyway. Torchwood, I want you to open up that Rift Manipulator. Send all the power to me."

"Doing it now, Sir," Ianto said as he popped his head into the screen for a moment. "Oh! Hello, Rose!"

"Hi, Ianto!" she called back.

"What's the power for?" Martha asked.

"It's going to be a tow-rope. Now then, Sarah. What's your son's name?"

"Luke! He's called Luke. And the computer's called Mr Smith."

"Calling Luke and Mr Smith! Come on, Luke, shake a leg!"

Luke appeared on the screen, hope written across his face. "Is Mum there?"

"Oh, she's fine and dandy."

"Luke! Oh, yes! Yes!" Sarah Jane cried in delight. She was overjoyed that her son was safe and well.

"Now, Mr Smith, I want you to harness the Rift power and loop it round the TARDIS, you got that?"

"I regret, I will need remote access to TARDIS basecode numerals."

"Oh, blimey. That's gonna take a while," the Doctor said, scratching the back of his head.

"No, no, no. Let me!" Sarah Jane cried, running around to the screen, blocking Rose's view. "K-9, out you come!"

"Affirmative, Mistress!"

"Oh, good dog!" the Doctor laughed in delight. "K-9, give Mr Smith the basecode!"

"Master. TARDIS basecode now being transferred. The process is simple."

"Ha ha! Brilliant. Now, then, you lot... Sarah, hold that." He directed her to a spot on the console, then moved to the next person. "And Mickey, you hold that. Because you know why this TARDIS is always rattling about the place? Donna, that there. It was designed to have six pilots and I have to do it single handed. Martha, keep that level. But not anymore! Jack, there you go, steady that. Now we can fly this thing-" He froze when he came to Jackie, who was looking at him expectantly. "No, Jackie. No, no. Not you. Don't touch anything. Just... stand back."

"Oi!" Rose called out to him. "Be nice to her! I mean, Mum can cook, she's a really brilliant cook. I think that if she can cook, she can handle one control. Just get her to control one of the funny levers. God knows, half of them are kitchen appliances anyway!"

"Oh... fine... Jackie, pull that down when I say." He pointed to a very strange lever.

Jackie nodded and placed her hand on it, before taking it off and looking at the lever questioningly. "Hang on, that's my whisk! It went missing about a few months before we switched universes! You stole my whisk! That's my whisk!"

"Is not."

"It is so!"

"Well it's not like you were using it."

"I was too!" she cried indignantly.

"_Anyway_, as I was saying. Now we can fly the TARDIS like it was meant to be flown! We've got the Torchwood Rift looped around the TARIDS by Mr Smith. We're gonna fly planet Earth back home." He went and stood in his place at the console. "Right, then! Off we go."

He pulled a lever, and the started off. Rose sat on the seat with a broad smile on her face as she watched them all fly. Even the TARDIS was giving off a vibe of rejoice. They flew it for the most part, but then they had to dematerialize for a moment to get it back into the right time stream and place. God knows how long it would have taken them to drag the Earth that far without the vortex.

When Martha worried about what the Vortex would do to the Earth, the Doctor assured her that the atmospheric shell was keeping the Earth safe from everything. Even the Vortex.

And then it wasn't long until they had done their task. Everyone began to cheer and shout happily. Everyone hugging each other. Even Rose managed to drag her self up to celebrate. She cracked up when Donna practically ripped Sarah Jane away to hug Jack.

During the celebrations, the Doctor managed to squeeze around them all enough to fly the TARDIS back onto Earth. Jack tried to help, but there was no way he was leaving Donna's clutches just yet.

"Come on, everyone. Let's go!" he grinned. "Donna, let go of him." Then he dashed outside, Sarah Jane following him. Then everyone else.

Sarah Jane said a quick goodbye, eager to get back to her son. Mickey stopped flirting with Martha long enough to ask Rose if she could help him move back to this world when she was feeling better. He was going to go back with Jackie until Jack suggested he stay with them in the meantime.

It was while they were all talking and saying their goodbyes that something strange happened. Not far off, there was a slight golden shimmer and someone stepped out next to them. It was a girl in her late teens. She had long brown hair, the same colour as the Doctor's. And she wore a poofy blue dress with a black underbust corset and blue Converse. She looked about at everyone for a moment with her oddly coloured blue eyes. Everyone looked back at her in bewilderment.

"Um... Crap!" she muttered.

"Aria?" Jack said before Rose could.

"Not now, Uncle Jack!" she cried, running through them. "I'm running late! I'll see you and Ianto later when the House goes on lockdown!" Then she disappeared into the park.

"Was that...?" the Doctor stuttered.

"Aria Tyler," Rose nodded, slightly bewildered by what just happened.

"That girls going to cause a paradox one day," Jack said, shaking his head.

.

Back in the park, Aria came to a stop when she bumped into someone. She looked up to see the taller blonde woman looking about. She smiled as she recognised her older sister.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said. "I wasn't paying attention. I was um... Have you seem someone? A man. Tall and skinny. A lot of brown. Um... he'll have a blue box with-"

"The Doctor's over that way," she said, pointing back where she'd just come from. "See you later, Jenny!"

Jenny looked at her, rather startled. "What?" she said. But the girl was already gone. Shrugging, she headed in the direction she had pointed, filled with curiosity and hope.

Finally, Aria made it to where she had been going. She stopped short as she neared the park bench. Her stomach filled with butterflies when she saw him sitting there. She had to pause and take a deep breath.

"Frank!" she called, walking over.

"Aria!" he grinned, standing up. His American accent caused her to bite her lip as the butterflies threatened again.

She gave him a big hug then took a moment to look him up and down. His hair had been styled with a bit of gel, and a slight stubble had grown in. He was wearing black jeans and an unbuttoned shirt that had its sleeves rolled to his elbows and a black singlet underneath. She was taken away by the new look.

"Wow, the 21st century suits you," she laughed.

"What? This?" he said holding out the over-shirt a bit. "It's not quite the 1930's, but I like it."

"It looks nice," she said.

"Really?" An adorable smile lit up his face. "Thanks. So, are we going anywhere today?"

"Well, we could go off world or to another time. It would only take a few little footsteps... Or we could stay here if you want. I'm sure there's more than just what Jack introduced you to."

"How about off world? Your choice."

"All right." She grinned with her tongue poking out between her teeth. Then she took her hand in his. "Run!"

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><p><em><strong>I'm not sure if I am overjoyed or sad that this is over now. 95 pages later it's all over. I figured that instead of leaving the story with the Doctor and Rose going off like usual, I would show you that the story doesn't just end with them.<strong>_

_**There were a few hints in there, so if you didn't fully understand that bit at the end here's what happened: Their daughter popped in from the future. Jack knew her because he had helped her out with getting Frank settled into their time. She helped Jenny find them. She basically told Jack that she would save him and Ianto (always find a loophole for Ianto to live!) And she went and continued her adventures with her 'friend', Frank. And yes, that is Frank from 'Daleks of Manhattan'.**_

_**I hope you enjoyed it, and thank you all SO much for sticking with me all this time. I know I haven't been updating much recently, and I wish I could more. But you are all such wonderful people and I appreciate all the support.**_

_**Seriously. You have no idea how much I love you.**_


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